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.

“Benches were placed inside and outside along the curved south-facing facade,” says Sudo. “This allows people to use the spaces freely without being limited by furniture. It also doubles as a platform to store books or firewood.”The living room, dining and kitchen area, and a multipurpose room were placed along this frontage to enjoy the panoramic view. The grandparents’ and parents’ houses are positioned to the north.

The bedrooms and service spaces are tucked to the north and west sides of the property. A timber-clad volume perched above the kitchen holds the bathroom.

“The bathroom is the only thing on the second level, which makes it feel special,” Shinya says. “The staircase functions as a boundary. I like that they aren’t any walls; it feels continuous.”

On a normal day, the couple spend a lot of time in the kitchen. “If my wife is there, I can be working on the computer at the counter in front of her. We can talk, have coffee, and eat, and the view is pleasant. It is like a cafe—in fact, it’s better than a cafe, in my opinion,” Shinya muses. He also enjoys having coffee at the outside bench while their 10-month-old son crawls around in the grass. “My wife can see us from the kitchen and dining area, which she loves,” says Shinya.

Shinya and his wife host gatherings weekly with their new setup. “The large kitchen integrated with the dining table is large enough to dine with friends,” he says, adding that visitors gravitate to the internal bench by the window. “They have used it more than I had imagined. When we have parties, we always have enough places for guests to sit, thanks to the bench.”

At any point during the year, the scene looking out the window is captivating. “In summer, the whole area shines due to the dew on the lawn and field plants, and in winter, it becomes frozen and pure white. It can be a very mystical scene,” says Shinya. When the snow piles up outside, the height of the ground rises, and you can feel you are surrounded by snow.”

More from SAAD:

A Holiday Home in Hokkaido Echoes the Textures and Topography of Nature

In Japan, a Straight-Ahead Gable Home Takes an Unexpected Turn

Project Credits:

Architect: SAAD / @s-a-a-d.com (s) / @saad_architects

Builder: SUDO Construction Inc.

Structural Engineer: Denchiku Keisaku Kobo

Appears In

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