Unusual Japanese traditional architecture, Komayose

I like a lot the traditional Japanese houses and I'm delighted when I can stroll through old traditional areas. Especially in Kyoto, where I can enjoy specific architectural traits, some of them so peculiar that it is hard to guess what they are used for (like the inu-yarai house skirts).

Here's another such unusual detail, a kind of low fence made of boards, placed about one meter in front of the house. Called komayose, these fences are removable or fixed to the ground and they have a double purpose: to protect the sensible walls against accidental blows and to keep the passersby away from the windows, to insure the privacy...

And another nice detail: did you notice the tree exiting through the roof of the house?