Japanese Country Style: Putting New Life into Old Houses [Hardcover]

Yoshihiro Takishita (Author), Sachiko Amakasu (Author), Peter M. Grilli (Foreword)

List Price:	CDN$ 58.95
Price:	CDN$ 36.96 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
You Save:	CDN$ 21.99 (37%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.

Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Tuesday, May 29? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout.

Product Details

Hardcover: 168 pages
Publisher: Kodansha International; 1 edition (April 26 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 4770027613
ISBN-13: 978-4770027610
Product Dimensions: 28.6 x 23.7 x 2.4 cm
Shipping Weight: 1.1 Kg
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #613,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Review

"For the past [35 years], Mr. Takishita has dominated what is probably the tiniest housing niche in Japan -- the buying, selling and moving of the evocative minka, or farmhouse." -- Wall Street Journal

"It's unique in America and perhaps the world -- the only time that three historical minka Japanese farmhouses have been combined to form one residential dwelling." -- Honolulu Star-Bulletin

"Step inside and you walk into the best of a Japan of bygone days -- the same giant beams, blackened with age ... and black floorboards with two centuries of walking and wounds underfoot." -- Mainichi Daily News

"[Takishita's] work is not only interesting and stimulating -- it is inspiring." -- Donald Keene, The Japan Times

Book Description

Japanese Country Style introduces sixteen unique and sumptuous homes rescued by Yoshihiro Takishita, a professional antiquarian, and illustrates how his renovations rejuvenated these all-but-forgotten architectural gems. Takishita candidly discusses the thoughts and inspirations that led him to adapt and convert these centuries-old farmhouses for modern living. Chapters on their unique history and construction demonstrate the value of these towering traditional homes, and illustrate their place in Japanese rural life, where several generations often lived under the same roof which allowed for a horse in the stable area and silkworms in the attic. Japanese Country Style also showcases the artful blending of traditional Japanese elements with modern lifestyles. Tatami rooms, Japanese antiques, traditional wooden furniture, and other treasures fill the rooms of these homes, and evoke the understated elegance of country-style living. With over 200 photographs and illustrations of beautifully refurbished folk homes, this volume presents a portrait of a sublime yet simple way of life that will give anyone interested in design and architecture a host it useful ideas. This books adopts a bilingual format, providing both Japanese and English commentary.

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
I was born and raised in a town called Shirotori, in the Gujo region of Gifu Prefecture. Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Share your experience with this product with others

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 4.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Japanese Country Style: Putting New Life into Old Houses, July 25 2005

By Margaret Yim - Published on Amazon.com

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Japanese Country Style: Putting New Life into Old Houses (Hardcover)

Enjoyable reading. The author lovingly describes how he relocated and remodeled a selection of traditional Japanese farm houses that otherwise would have been destroyed. The descriptions of each house includes anectodal notes as well as beautiful photos of the houses interiors & exteriors. Thank goodness there are people who are interested in preserving a nation's cultural heritage.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Joy to Enjoy, Nov 24 2007

By Adrienne Wilson - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Japanese Country Style: Putting New Life into Old Houses (Hardcover)

I bought this book after reading John Roderick's book 'Minka' which came out in September this year. 'Minka' is all about the loving restoration of a 200 year old Japanese farmhouse. Having been fortunate enough to live in Japan for 3 years from 1997 til 2,000 and having visited several minka while there,I loved this book for its inspirational delivery. That book then lead me to this next book 'Japanese Country Style' because it is written by the Japanese architect/art dealer who was responsible for moving the original minka in the first book. It shows all the minka he has been responsible for lovingly rescuing, restoring and adapting to modern day living requirements. I am planning a trip to Japan specifically to visit some of these wonderful buildings. They have spirit and beauty.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars So so, Dec 5 2010

By Jackal - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Japanese Country Style: Putting New Life into Old Houses (Hardcover)

This book is about restored old farm houses in Japan. The focus is not on the technicality of architecture, but on the finished results. There are several pictures in the book. For some reason I don't find the pictures particularly inspiring. So don't use this book to get interior design ideas. The key part of the book is the pictures. The text is not very interesting because it is mostly focused on background data.

You should also note that the book is a combined English Japanese edition. This means that you get both English and Japanese text.

If you want a more social account of the Japanese house I would recommend The Inner Harmony of the Japanese House.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews 4.5 out of 5 stars