How they are built is therefore heavily influenced by the climate. Traditional houses in northern Japan are built differently from houses in the southern parts. In northeastern Japan, houses must be able to stand up to cold winters. In southwestern Japan, the heat of summer and the frequency of typhoons influence the way houses are built. And all of Japan has large rainfalls and high humidity.
Wood is used because Japan has plenty of forests, and wood is cheap and easily available.
Wood holds up better in Japan's variable weather and high humidity because it provides good ventilation. And wood is also better than stone and bricks in an earthquake or typhoon. There are of course drawbacks to wooden houses. They tend to have lower ceilings because the beams that hold them up come in limited sizes, and wood does not lend itself to high-rise structures. Wood can be recycled, but this process takes a long time, and in the meantime the demand for more wood is fast eating up the supply.