A Comparative Study on Conceptual Similarity and Differences between Traditional Houses of Japan and Turkey

The purpose of this study is to make a conceptual analysis of the rooms of traditional residential architectures of Japan and Turkey in order to find out and compare cultural reflections of Turkish and Japanese ways of life on their own houses. To focus the discussion, this research has been arranged around certain themes and concepts. In Chapter 2, this study provides an outline of the basic characteristics of traditional architectures of Japan and Turkey. Chapter 3 contains comparison of some basic concepts that have been used to define characteristics of traditional rooms. The first section of this chapter is devoted to the meaning and comparison of the concept of ‘simplicity’ in traditional lifestyles. In the following sections, introversion and extroversion characters of the rooms and the reflection of climatic factors in Japanese and Turkish house types are studied comparatively. In conclusion, a preliminary outline of the outcomes of the comparative study is given. Special attention is given to the relation between the traditional lifestyles of the occupants and the reflection of lifestyles in their rooms.