With a property so closely landlocked by neighbouring homes, most people would find the potential lack of privacy unnerving. 

But for the owners of Oyamadai House, they saw the opportunity to live openly with a home that surrounded by glass and open terraces. The family used this small degree of isolation as a chance to connect to the city from a slight remove.

Supplied: Front Office

The team at Front Office designed what can only be described as a "fish tank" - a fully open, two-storey flag-shaped site with a rooftop terrace. 

REthinkTokyo spoke to Front Office designer Will Galloway who said "the homes surrounding neighbours actually protected the home, as virtually none of those properties have windows.

"This made the Oyamadai House completely secluded, and gave our clients the opportunity to be as open as they wanted," he said.

Supplied: Front Office

The client brief, Galloway says, was to be higher than their other neighbours. "Our clients wanted to be able to see the river valley to the south," he said.

To achieve this, Galloway and the other designers, Koen Klinkers, Misuzu Yoshikawa and Joris Berkhout, gave the first floor a three-metre high ceiling so that the second floor would be well above the surrounding neighbourhood properties.

Supplied: Front Office

"Taking advantage of the three-metre-high ceiling on the first floor, the views from the second floor and rooftop overlook the rooves of the neighbours right across the hilly site, which opens the home without a loss of privacy," Galloway added. 

The design is open-plan and, thanks to its many windows, filled with natural light.   

Source: Front Office

Similar to this:

Metabolism: A guide to Japan’s living buildings

Tailored Design Lab's "Alcove" apartment in Tokyo

Living architecture: Six lesser-known outdoor architectural museums in Japan