9-tsubo house

WHAT? Japan’s unit for measuring surface area of real-estate is based on a freaken tatami mat? wtf?
As soon as you can get by this oh-so-common reaction, you can begin to appreciate the ultimate in small spaces that is the 9-tsubo house.


The company has been commissioning several architects/designers to create variations on a “minimum house” concept called the 9-tsubo house (1 tsubo is about 35-sf) originally developed in 1952 by the architect Makoto Masuzawa. Completed just last month, their latest home is SAH (13,500,000 yen or about $146K), designed by Makoto Koizumi.