Amazon.com
Longtime Japan resident Amy Sylvester Katoh and photographer Shin Kimura have created a fascinating and educational masterpiece in Japan: The Art of Living. More than 300 pictures of rooms, furniture, table arrangements, stylish windows, and more enliven its pages as they guide the reader on a "photographic tour of exquisite homes in the Tokyo area, focusing on ... antiques and folk crafts."
Katoh counsels readers to break free from some of the rules that govern Japanese style and design and experiment with their own brand of panache--or Japanache, as Katoh calls it. Instead of simply cataloging stylish homes, the author presents a design element, such as tansu chests, with a dozen options and alternatives, providing both ancient ideas and their modern updates. In addition to the superb photos and engaging text, there is also an index of places to buy the featured antiques, textiles, washi paper, screens, and other items, both in Japan and in 11 states in the U.S. If you were a fan of Japanese design before, this book will make you a fanatic. --Jhana Bach
From Library Journal
These books provide a window on a wonderful aspect of Japan--its domestic culture. While Ueda pinpoints the essence of traditional culture through architecture--in an ably translated version of a best seller (300,000 copies) in Japan--Katoh and Kimura take us inside homes in a feast for the eyes. The diffuse light of Kimura's photos of andon (a traditional lighting fixture) and other objects is true to life. With first-rate photography and honest sociology, these two engrossing views of Japanese life go well together. Librarians may want to purchase both books for cultural collection building; Katoh and Kimura's should be purchased where there is interior design interest. Highly recommended.
- Mike Heines, USAF Rome Air Development Ctr., N.Y.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Mike Heines, USAF Rome Air Development Ctr., N.Y.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
