Tsubo-niwa
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A tsubo-niwa is a type of very small garden in Japan. Tsubo-niwa have been described as "quasi-indoor gardens", and are a key feature of some traditional Japanese homes, such as the machiya. They are
A tsubo-niwa is meant to be seen from indoors. Note sliding glass doors.
Straight-on view of the same garden. Note shitaji or renji windows, water basins, lanterns, and shade-loving plantings, including ferns, Soleirolia soleirolii, and a moss lawn.
The courtyard garden of a former geisha house (okiya) in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. The trees are covered with straw to protect them from the snow.
Courtiers around a tsubo-niwa, illustration from The Tale of Genji, Heian period (c. 1130)
Tablinum
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In Roman architecture, a tablinum was a room in a domus generally situated on one side of the atrium and opposite to the entrance; it opened in the rear onto the peristyle, with either a large window
Tsubo-niwa
…wells. Several tsubo-niwa are used to provide passive ventilation in an otherwise small home, allowing a breeze to blow through the living space (see tablinum). They may also contain a basin, traditionally used for temizu, hand-cleansing. Tsubo-niwa are often set up where they can be seen by home occupants…
The tablinum of the House of Menander (Regio I), Pompeii