The engawa (縁側) is a wooden walkway along the outer edge of a traditional Japanese house. It runs between the rooms and the garden. It is not quite inside and not quite outside. On this narrow strip of polished boards you can sit half in the house and half in the open air and watch the garden.
Between house and garden
The engawa lies just outside the sliding shōji and fusuma panels. Like a veranda, it wraps around one or more sides of the house, and the deep eaves of the roof keep off the rain. When the family slides the outer screens open, the wall between inside and outside disappears. The garden (庭, niwa) seems to flow into the house, and cool air moves through the rooms in the summer heat. In bad weather, wooden storm shutters close the engawa off. This in-between quality is its whole charm. It belongs to both worlds and to neither.
A place to pause
Above all, the engawa is a place to sit and slow down. People drink tea here, read, cool off on summer evenings, or enjoy hinatabokko (日向ぼっこ), lazing in the warm sun. It is also a place for easy, casual visits. A neighbour can drop by, sit on the edge of the engawa and chat without ever stepping into the house. The engawa sits halfway between the public street and private family life. In countless Japanese films and childhood memories, it stands for unhurried home life. An old couple sits side by side and looks out at the garden, with a cat asleep in the sun beside them.
Words & idioms to take away
Idioms & proverbs to carry away
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縁 (en): this word for "edge" also means connection, bond and even fate, the ties between people. It suits the engawa well, since this is where a household meets the world.
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日向ぼっこ (hinatabokko): lazing in warm sunshine, the classic gentle pleasure of an engawa on a fine day.