28. A private courtyard that gives homeowners a view of nature and natural light.
In contrary to many Japanese houses that have incorporated a western-style design these days, the old traditional houses in the country always come with a private courtyard. Often dubbed “tsuboniwa”, this is an open courtyard that is placed in the center of a large house. The opened area will help to provide sunlight to the whole house, and also gives off a feeling of peace, tranquility, and zen. There are also lots of ways to decorate this area, from adding rocks, plants, or even a small waterfall or lake to keep fish.
