Japanese architecture is characterized by simple lines and angular forms and is relatively devoid of ornamentation. This unique style emerged primarily because only wood was used in construction. The best and earliest examples of Japan's unique style of architecture can be seen in Shinto shrines which date back to ancient times. Because wood is not the most durable of building materials, many of these structures have been preserved by the ongoing replacement of materials throughout the centuries.

The introduction of Buddhism from China in the 6th and 7th centuries, also brought with it Chinese architectural styles. The Japanese began constructing temples echoing Chinese-style with the use of granite, large stone pillars, hipped roofs and red painted exteriors. An excellent example of this is the pagoda. Over the years, palaces were built throughout Japan which were strongly influenced by Chinese architecture.

The oldest surviving wooden building in the world is believed to be the pagoda-like Buddhist temple in Nara, Horyu-ji. The largest wooden building in the world is considered to be Todai-ji (Todai Temple) also in Nara and was built in the eighth century.

Prior to the mid 16th century, most of Japan's castles were designed like forts - erected on mountainsides and built to be invulnerable. In 1576, the Momoyama lord, Oda Nobunaga, built a castle at Azuchi which differed from its predecessors since it was constructed out in the open. It was built to be both a castle and a villa and was an impressive seven stories high. The roof was rust colored and the walls were stark white. Japan's next great military leader, Hideyoshi Toyotomi followed Nobunaga's example and built similar structures at Fushimi and Osaka. This set the trend for future leaders who erected opulent castles on the plains throughout Japan and used stone in their construction. The best example of this style of architecture which still stands today is Himeji Castle located on the Inland Sea near Kyoto and Osaka. It is one of Japan's most popular tourist destinations. Gradually the noblemen, who had always built more traditional Japanese homes, began erecting similar palaces for themselves. Typically these "homes" had dozens of rooms which were separated by sliding screen doors and were decorated throughout by ornate paintings and carvings.

While the castles and palaces were highly decorated and reminiscent of Chinese-style architecture, the tea houses and temples associated with Zen Buddhism continued to reflect traditional Japanese style and were made of wood.

As recently as the Edo Period, noblemen and military leaders built palatial estates while the homes of the gentry were usually of wood construction and consistent with modest Japanese style.

In 1609 a Dutch delegation was granted permission by the Tokugawa Shogunate to open a trading post in the port city of Nagasaki. It was there that Western architecture made its first appearance in Japan. Over the years, Dutch traders built a number of Western style homes out of red bricks which were also used to pave the streets. Nagasaki was nearly destroyed when on August 9, 1945, the United States dropped it's second atomic bomb on Japan however because of its hilly terrain, the damage was not as devastating as that suffered in Hiroshima. Today, part of the original Dutch settlement remains and is the center of many international cultural events throughout the year.

In the mid-nineteenth century, Japan entered a great period of exchange with the West and the Japanese government commissioned foreign architects to build several public buildings including Shimbashi Station in Tokyo and Yokohama Station. In 1909 the first steel-frame building was erected for Maruzen Co. Ltd. and 1916 the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to design and build the Imperial Hotel. The post-war economic prosperity of the 1960's spurred a building boom in which the Japanese began embracing all aspects of Western architecture, including the ability to erect earthquake resistant skyscrapers. It is interesting to note that while multistoried buildings in Japan have a 13th floor, often there is no 4th floor as the number four is considered unlucky.

Residential housing began changing as well, and many of the traditional Japanese-style wooden frame houses located in the cities gave way to apartment buildings. These buildings are typically five to eight stories high and have been designed to accommodate Japanese lifestyle. A typical modern-day apartment will have one room which serves as a living/dining/kitchen area and one or two other small rooms which are separated by sliding screen doors. These extra rooms are versatile and can be used for sleeping or even as an additional living area. The floors are usually covered with tatami mats (woven grass mats app. 6' x 3' each) and are 6 or 8 tatami mats in size. Each room has a closet which is outfitted with shelves to store Japanese bedding (futons and covers) when not in use. Today many Japanese people prefer to sleep in beds, so often times the tatami mats are covered with carpet and all the fittings of a western-style bedroom are present. Futons are then used to accommodate guests. Another interesting architectural feature of Japanese apartment buildings is the fact that each apartment almost always has a balcony. These balconies are typically used to air futons and dry clothes making apartment buildings a colorful site in the morning.

Although Western architecture has greatly influenced Japanese home building, certain basic design elements remain till this day. Traditionally, Japanese houses are made of wood however today, many are made of pre-fabricated materials including aluminum siding and concrete slabs. Each home has a genkan or entrance area where visitors take their shoes off. Since the body of the house is raised off the ground, from the genkan one must "step-up" into the home. There is usually a kitchen/dining room, sometimes a separate living room and almost always a traditional Japanese-style room called a wa-shitsu which has a tatami mat floor and a tokonoma which is an alcove used to display paintings and flower arrangements.