architecture

Naga-ya (Long Houses - Shared Housing)

Structure: Two-story wooden buildings, 100-150 feet long

Layout:

  • Central corridor with 10-20 private rooms (8x10 feet each)
  • Ground floor: communal kitchen (large hearth, prep tables, storage), dining area, bathing room
  • Courtyard: central garden with stone paths, well, laundry lines, vegetable patches

Materials:

  • Cedar frame, cypress walls
  • Paper sliding doors (fusuma)
  • Tatami mat flooring
  • Red ceramic tiles (kawara), gently curved eaves

Colors: Natural wood (honey to walnut tones), cream plaster walls, red-brown roofs

Integration: Located near Welcome Halls, close to markets and transit, built in clusters creating neighborhoods

Purpose: Housing for newcomers and those on the Path to establishing themselves