When I was a kid, I was always fascinated with the idea of a house that had all sorts of built-in defences like booby traps, secret staircases and underground caverns. Turns out the Japanese actually built one in Kyoto, and it's called Nijo Jinya (二条陣屋).
This house was used by lords visiting Kyoto to conduct business, and it seems the company they kept could be rather suspect. Say a wrong word and a hidden samurai will drop straight on your head from a hidden spot in ceiling above you. Or maybe they'll come crashing through the wooden panel that you thought was just a cupboard.
Pull a lever and a staircase descends from the ceiling. Chase someone without watching where you're going and you'll have your ankles taken out by ankle breakers. And where exactly did that person go? He's already one floor up, through a small hole in the corner of the ceiling.
Fire was a big problem in Japan, with all the dense housing arrangement coupled with all the houses being made of wood. A large part of design of this house was thus to protect against fire, with access to wells, fire-retardant walls, hanging mats that could be splashed with water to ward off the fire.
Really cool place. Just remember to watch your step.
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