The house we were inspecting in Shiroi, Chiba Prefecture, looked better and larger in the photos that the realtor had posted on its website. Those pictures had been taken with a wide angle lens at the eastern side of the house, which bordered a leafy promenade. To the north and south of the house, however, stood more houses — only a meter or so away on either side.

As we looked out through the open sliding doors at the neighbor's wall we mentioned our dislike of surigarasu (obscure glass), but the agent told us that according to the law if neighboring houses are less than one meter apart the window glass has to be clouded or pebbled. Obscure glass is common in Japanese houses, but this was the first time we'd heard of a law.

As it turns out, article 235 of the Civil Code states that when a residential structure is built within a "certain distance from the property line" it must have some sort of mekakushi (blind), presumably for the sake of privacy. This is not really a law but a guideline and local governments are free to modify legally binding stipulations "according to custom." If no one complains, the law isn't invoked, but builders have systematically taken matters into their own hands.