When it comes to tiny houses, Japan is surely the master of somehow making the smallest of spaces work in becoming a habitat for humans. Whether it be the former Nakagin Capsule Tower, business hotels, the rising popularity of tiny houses, rental work stations or just capsule hotels themself there are many examples of slightly claustrophobic spaces out there but none of them are as dangerous as this otherworldly pair.

This duo of mysterious homes are like something out of a fairytale, and were once featured in a top 10 list of the most dangerous buildings in the world by Time magazine. They are located in the fields of Nagano prefecture close to the shore of Lake Suwa, and so on a recent trip to Matsumoto I stopped off to see such a unique sight on my return to Tokyo.

A local train journey of about 50 minutes east of Matsumoto takes you to Chino station, and from there it’s a 45 minute walk westwards. However, my transit was only about 75 minutes so my only choice was to run for a bit. It’s actually something I do quite often when in countryside areas where transportation is rather limited but this time I had the added weight of doing it in temperatures of 35 degrees plus! No pain, no gain!

The first home to come on the horizon was the flying mudboat one which was built in 2010 in the fields of the family home of Terunobu Fujimori, an architect from Chino city.

It’s certainly Ghibli-esque in appearance as it hangs between two ladder-like wooden support constructions, and just beyond that is the one that brought the place to my attention.

It’s located next to a cemetery which is presumably just a coincidence rather than a convenience for all those that have maybe died from falling out!

This house-on-stilts has been built on just two trees and sits six metres above ground. It certainly doesn’t look too stable but can supposedly accommodate four people at a time.

Known as Takasugi-an, it is a teahouse that can be entered via ladder but unless you happen to be good at climbing trees or have your own ladder then it’s highly unlikely you’ll be able to see inside. I’m not sure about nowadays but it used to be open once a year by appointment only.

Seeing it up close (albeit only from below!) really did bring back memories of hanging out in a mate’s treehouse when I was a child which was always great fun and seemed so cool. It also reminded me a bit of Kitarō’s house in Chofu (Tokyo) which is from a famous manga series created in 1960, and is part of pop culture in Japan.

Takasugi-an was completed in 2004 and is a symbol of the area due to its unique appearance which manages to blend into the surrouning countryside with its unpainted clay walls and wooden roof.

A solitary window allows a bit of light from the west to infiltrate into the building but with no admittance allowed for now, one can only wonder what it looks like inside. Or you could just search it out elsewhere on the internet I guess!

• Takasugi-an is located at 389-1 Miyagawa, Chino, Nagano-ken.

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