20+ really thin buildings and houses in Japan

Thin buildings–in Japan, where real estate is prohibitively expensive, there are lots of them. You’ve probably seen one of these: quaintly slender buildings sandwiched between two large ones; sharp, pointed corner structures hugging every available space. Even apartments in which (we assume) tenants aren’t allowed to get too fat are not an uncommon sight.

So if you’re bemoaning the cramped, crowded flat you’re holed up in somewhere in Tokyo, just be thankful you don’t live or work inside one of these claustrophobic structures.


Osaka, photo by m.terada


Unknown location, photo by masacc


Tokyo, photo by gullevek


Unknown location, photo by jimgris


Osaka, photo by m.terada


Osaka, photo by SMurphy109


Unknown location, photo by n@o


Ebisu, Tokyo; photo by chipple


Tokyo, photo by tarawo


Osaka, photo by m.terada


Hamamatsucho, Tokyo; photo by Becca Dorstek


Tokyo, photo by whooba


Tokyo, photo by Marcel Feldmar


Tokyo, photo by aussi_ian


Hiroshima, photo by jedi.RC


Tokyo, photo by FoNgEtZ


Unknown location, photo by mckibillo


Akihabara, photo by ffg


Unknown location, photo by josefuteimu

See the Google Street View of this building.


Kyoto, photo by r0botluv


Roppongi, photo by VinceHuang


Tokyo, photo by Ian Muttoo


Shibuya, photo by colddayforpontooning


Tokyo, photo by mralistair

Probably the thinnest there is: this wall-like structure in Nagasaki. There are more photos of this building at Yuki@chikA World, including a map where you can appreciate just how thin it is.


Nagasaki, photo by Sergio in Nagasaki