This Family Home in Japan Breaks the Stereotype of a Modern Farmhouse

Shinya Momono lives in the same area as his parents and grandparents in the agriculture town of Naganuma in Hokkaido, Japan, where run-of-the-mill pitched-roof structures dot the sparse landscape. He’s a professional snowboarder, but has also followed in the footsteps of his ancestors.

"I am the fourth generation of farmers here," he says. "I used to live with my grandparents in a 50-year-old house. When my wife and I got married, we decided to build a new one and converted the farmland on the side of my parent’s house into residential land."

To create their home, Shinya and his wife, who’s an accountant, engaged architect Tomoyuki Sudo. Wanting to create views of the open field to the south, the couple requested large windows overlooking the landscape. "We both love the outdoors and spend a lot of time outside as farmers, so we wanted a house with a connection to nature," says Shinya. Sudo designed a box-shape home with a bite taken out of one side, creating a crescent shape where windows look over the field.

The shape creates a cozy living space while alluding to the town’s name, 三日月湖, meaning The Crescent Moon Lake. It’s also known as Tanne-To, a name given by the area’s indigenous Ainu people, which translates to a long, narrow swamp.