Jutaku: Japanese Houses by Naomi Pollock
Last updated: 4 October 2026
Jutaku: Japanese Houses is a 512-page Phaidon hardback by Naomi Pollock, an American architect who lives in Tokyo. It shows more than 400 contemporary Japanese houses, one house and one photograph to a page, in a book small enough to hold in one hand. On 4 October 2026 Amazon UK had one new copy at £11 plus £2.80 delivery, against an RRP of £14.95, and Phaidon's own shop was sold out.
The Amazon links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
What is in Jutaku: Japanese Houses
Jutaku is the everyday Japanese word for a house. The book collects recent houses from across Japan and arranges them by region, so it reads as a trip around the country rather than a list of famous names.
Each house gets a single page and a single photograph, with a short caption. That makes it quick to flick through, and it means you see the sheer range: houses squeezed onto tiny plots, houses with sharply angled walls, and houses that look nothing like a house.
The architects in it
Phaidon names Shigeru Ban, Sou Fujimoto, Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma and Shuhei Endo among the well-known architects. Alongside them are dozens of young and little-known practices, which is where most of the surprises come from.
The Financial Times review quoted by Phaidon said "it is impossible not to be thrilled by their invention and sheer originality".
Who Naomi Pollock is
Pollock trained as an architect and writes about Japanese design from Tokyo. She is the Special International Correspondent for Architectural Record, and her work has appeared in Wallpaper* and Dwell.
She has written two other books for Phaidon, Modern Japanese House and Hitoshi Abe, plus Made in Japan: 100 New Products. Phaidon's Jutaku product page has the full list of reviews.
Key facts
- Price: £11 new on Amazon UK on 4 October 2026, from the seller hay-on-wye_booksellers, plus £2.80 delivery; RRP £14.95
- Author: Naomi Pollock
- Publisher: Phaidon, 12 October 2015
- Format: hardback, 512 pages
- Size: 184 x 124mm, about the size of a paperback novel
- Weight: 1.05kg
- ISBN: 9780714869629
- Rating: 4.4 out of 5 from 104 ratings on Amazon UK
Who it suits
- Architects and architecture students: it is a fast visual index of the Japanese houses built in the 15 or so years before 2015.
- Designers: the one-image-per-page layout makes it a good book to dip into for ideas.
- Japan fans: it covers houses from all over Japan, well beyond Tokyo and Kyoto.
Phaidon's The Japanese Garden by Sophie Walker covers 800 years of Japanese garden design, if you want the landscape side as well.
The limits
One photograph per house is the trade-off. You get one image and a caption, not plans, interiors or a write-up of how each house works, so it will not replace a monograph on any one architect.
It also dates from 2015. Houses built since then are not in it.
Stock is the main catch. Phaidon's UK shop showed it sold out on 4 October 2026, and Amazon UK had only one new copy, from a third-party bookseller. Used copies started at £8.92 from momox. If the new copy goes, a used one in good condition is the fallback.
Where to buy it in the UK
Amazon UK lists the hardback new from hay-on-wye_booksellers and used from other sellers. Phaidon's shop takes "notify me" requests for when it comes back into stock.
Jutaku: Japanese Houses on Amazon UK
FAQs
How much is Jutaku: Japanese Houses?
£11 new on Amazon UK on 4 October 2026, plus £2.80 delivery. The RRP is £14.95.
How many houses are in Jutaku?
More than 400, one house and one photograph per page across 512 pages.
Who wrote Jutaku: Japanese Houses?
Naomi Pollock, an American architect based in Tokyo who writes for Architectural Record.
Which architects are in the book?
Shigeru Ban, Sou Fujimoto, Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma and Shuhei Endo, plus dozens of young and little-known practices.
How big is the book?
184 x 124mm and 512 pages, so it is small but thick, and weighs 1.05kg.
More from CoolCuration
- Gift guide for Japan lovers: presents for anyone into Japanese design, food and culture.
- Japan: The Cookbook: more than 400 Japanese home recipes in a 464-page Phaidon book.
- Barbican Cross Section print: a £12 A3 print of the Barbican's architecture.
- London Design Festival guide: the 2026 picks, what was free and what was ticketed.
- Gift guide for designers: well-made presents for people who notice how things look.
Prices and availability change. The affiliate links on this page earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and brands do not choose what we feature.
Image: Amazon
Follow us: Instagram
Copyright 2026 CoolCuration | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Affiliate Disclosure | Cool Factor
-----------
We are proud supporters of a safer more private internet via encouraging people to use Brave browser and are actively taking on Spammers as part of ProjectHoneypot. This site is hosted on servers that run on 100% renewable energy in the UK thanks to GreenWebHosting.
This site contains affiliate links, including to Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase or sign up for a service via these links, at no extra cost to you. All offers and promotions are accurate at the time of publication but are subject to change or withdrawal by the businesses featured. We cannot guarantee their continued availability. Read our full affiliate disclosure.
Reviews and opinions on CoolCuration reflect the personal experience of our writers at the time of publication. They are not professional endorsements and your experience may differ. Scores use our Cool Factor rating system and are given independently of any commercial relationship.
All content on CoolCuration is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice, investment recommendations or an endorsement of any product or service. We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and do not offer personalised financial guidance. You should always do your own research or consult a qualified financial advisor before making any financial decisions.