A view from the second floor balcony of a modern Japanese house called the Hakama (name of the ankle-length ‘skirt’ worn by the traditional samurai). Design by architect Jun Tamaki. The core living area rises the full height (5 metres) of the house, with a mezzanine at the rear, and is partitioned from the peripheral rooms by a series of white polyester curtains that hang gently in vertical folds.