Japan The Art Of Living [Hardcover]

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

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.

In this best seller, available for the first time in paperback, Amy Sylvester Katoh introduces stunning interior designs that have successfully blended East and West, traditional and modern. With over 300 color photographs by Shin Kimura, this tour of exquisite homes in the Tokyo area offers new ideas for decorating the Western home. It shows how enhancing table settings, arranging space with carefully selected screens and furnishings, and inviting the season indoors with delicate flower arrangements can create a Japanese aesthetic in the most parochial of rooms. Amy Sylvester Katoh, collector and connoisseur of Japanese Craftss and textiles, includes the latest information on antique markets and hints for where to see the art of living - in galleries, textile and Crafts shops, and restaurants. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Amy Sylvester Katoh, a longtime resident of Tokyo, 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 Crafts tradition, traveling throughout the country in search of the finest works of both traditional and modern Craftssmen. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.