Japan country living : spirit, tradition, style: Country Living - Spirit, Style, Tradition - Hardcover

Katoh, Amy Sylvester

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0804818584 ISBN 13: 9780804818582

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing, 2005

From Japanese antiques to home and garden design, Japan Country Living is a delightful introduction to rural tradition and a decorating guide for art and furniture lovers. In over four hundred full-colour photographs of quaint country homes, lush gardens, simple decorations, and traditional dishes and recipes, Japan Country Living presents the lifestyle of the Japanese countryside as it was yesterday and describes the transformation into a present-day urban living.

Review:

"One tends to forget the simplicity and beauty of the traditional way of Japanese life, when meals came direct from the land or sea, when clothes were made at home after the day's labours were done and when utensils and even homes were crafted from materials that were close at hand."

Japan Country Living: Spirit, Tradition, Style is the perfect antidote to city living--whether the city is Tokyo, London, or anywhere in between. With more than 450 colour photos, this book serves as a visual monument to a disappearing way of life and as a resource for those wanting to capture the flavour of Japan at its best. Author Amy Sylvester Katoh and photographer Shin Kimura provide plenty of fodder for décor daydreams, showcasing antique textiles and ceramics, examples of lighting, indoor and outdoor baths, the use of natural materials such as straw, wood and stone, glorious food arrangements, and even a few recipes in this beautifully produced volume. You probably don't want a thatched roof or straw mats for your home, but be warned: after you've added a soft paper lantern, a wooden rack for displaying antique bowls, or a gleaming tansu chest, you may not be able to stop. --Jhana Bach

About the Author:

Amy Sylvester Katoh, a longtime resident of Japan, is well known for her work with textiles, particularly traditional blue and white fabrics, which are featured in her boutique Blue & White in Azabu Juban, Tokyo. She is dedicated to preserving Japan's craft tradition, traveling throughout the country in search of the finest works of both traditional and modern craftsmen.

• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0804818584
• ISBN 13: 9780804818582
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192