These traditional house gates are always impressive. They are expensive so you don't see many this nice. The dramatic clouds help.

Gates, Walls, Japanese Houses

In the US and Canada, houses usually have a front and a back yard; the back yard is usually private and often surrounded by a privacy fence, while the front yard is usually mostly public—public in that it is on full display without being blocked by fence or hedge or anything, though it generally isn't acceptable for neighbors to walk into it. Semi-public (or semi-private) I suppose.

In contrast, Japanese houses, at least traditional ones, consider the entire yard private and it is surrounded by a thick hedge or high wall hiding it from all eyes. If you come from North America, you might think is ugly or unfriendly, but it is actually rather nice. One of the reasons for this is that people spend a lot of money making the wall or hedge look nice. Part of that is the gate.

Gates like this are not as common simply due to their high cost, but when you do fine them, they are always impressive. This gate is huge and looks pretty expensive. The couple who lives here must be pretty well off. It looks nice, doesn't it?

How are yards to houses common done in other countries?

	David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku.