Explore everyday life in Japan

Sliding Paper Windows and Doors

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In Japan, sometimes the walls literally are paper thin.

That's because traditional Japanese architecture often makes use of large open spaces that can be divided into small rooms through the use of sliding doors. These doors tend to be made either from a thin piece of wallpapered wood, paper covered wooden latticework, glass panes, or some combination of the above.

They can be partially opened, partially closed, or removed from their tracks entirely to give each room a variety of looks and feels.

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Similarly, windows are often outfitted on the inside of the room with sliding tracks that can hold wooden framed paper screens. These screens are generally made with a decorative latticework of some kind and a single sheet of thick paper that is glued to the back of it.

The light that these screens and doors let in is incredibly warm and soft. Often, it changes throughout the day, as do the way the screens and doors themselves glow when illuminated by the sun, the moon, or the street lights outside that shine upon them.

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I find that these screens and doors create a very comfortable and soothing feeling. There is somethinging about the way they soften the light and separate you from your surroundings while still incorporating the light, the sounds, and, depending on the degree to which they are opened or closed, the view beyond the room you are in that makes them feel incredibly private, more so, perhaps, than if they granted you real privacy by blocking all sense of the outside world.

In newer houses, these sliding doors and screens, along with floor plans that can be adjusted by their use, are being used less and less. These days, many new houses are being built with fixed floor plans that make use of western-style doors that are pulled open and closed. If traditional Japanese doors and screens are used at all, they are often used only in one room, the washitsu, or traditional Japanese room that is generally used as a guest room.

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Image Credits: The images in this post are original.

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This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.

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If you missed my last post, you can find it here A not-so-secret hiding place.