To the outside world, Japan may seem like an exotic, far-off place with a writing system and traditions which are equally incomprehensible.
Nevertheless, Japan has for centuries exerted a strong attraction for all kinds of people: whether they are scholars, artists, architects or manga enthusiasts.
In Japan, an ochaya (お茶屋), or tea house, is an establishment where patrons are entertained by geisha. These are traditional Japanese female entertainers who are trained as professional singers, dancers, and conversational companions for men. Usually, thes
Pritzker Prize winning architect Shigeru Ban, is renowned for his innovative use of cheap recyclable materials like paper and cardboard tubes to provide emergency shelters for disaster victims. Most recently he has been in the news for providing relief aid to earthquake victims in Ecuador and in Kumamoto, Japan...
Machiya are traditional wooden Japanese townhouses, most commonly found in Kyoto. These narrow homes have alleyways that run between them, creating blocks and groups of homes. In a traditional machiya neighborhood the sense of community is high, and as these homes were first lived in by craftsmen and merchants, those who...
Takeshi Hosaka, who recently joined the ZenVita team as one of our associate architects, is renowned in the world of architecture for his brilliantly imaginative designs for public buildings, offices and homes. His works have won countless awards and many have been featured by online magazines such as ArchDaily, Dezeen...
