20+ really thin buildings and houses in Japan

Thin buildings–in Japan, where real estate is prohibitively expensive, there are lots of them. You’ve probably seen one of these: quaintly slender buildings sandwiched between two large ones; sharp, pointed corner structures hugging every available space. Even apartments in which (we assume) tenants aren’t allowed to get too fat are not an uncommon sight.

So if you’re bemoaning the cramped, crowded flat you’re holed up in somewhere in Tokyo, just be thankful you don’t live or work inside one of these claustrophobic structures.

Osaka, photo by m.terada

Unknown location, photo by masacc

Tokyo, photo by gullevek

Unknown location, photo by jimgris

Osaka, photo by m.terada

Osaka, photo by SMurphy109

Unknown location, photo by n@o

Ebisu, Tokyo; photo by chipple

Tokyo, photo by tarawo

Osaka, photo by m.terada

Hamamatsucho, Tokyo; photo by Becca Dorstek

Tokyo, photo by whooba

Tokyo, photo by Marcel Feldmar

Tokyo, photo by aussi_ian

Hiroshima, photo by jedi.RC

Tokyo, photo by FoNgEtZ

Unknown location, photo by mckibillo

Akihabara, photo by ffg

Unknown location, photo by josefuteimu

See the Google Street View of this building (thanks tropicsnow).

Kyoto, photo by r0botluv

Roppongi, photo by VinceHuang

Tokyo, photo by Ian Muttoo

Shibuya, photo by colddayforpontooning

Tokyo, photo by mralistair

And…

Probably the thinnest there is: this wall-like structure in Nagasaki. There are more photos of this building at Yuki@chikA World, including a map where you can appreciate just how thin it is.

Nagasaki, photo by Sergio in Nagasaki