Japan Country Living [Hardcover]

Amy Sylvester Katoh (Author), Shin Kimura (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2005

Japan Living, this new book from noted authors Marcia Iwatate and Geeta Mehta, continues to explore the themes of their highly successful Japan Houses

. Some houses represented in Japan Living reflect the many changes in the dynamics of the new Japanese society, including an aging population and the desire to remain single, while others embody plenty of creativity, self-expression and individuality. Throughout, a return to traditional materials and design elements is married with such present-day requirements as minimalism, flexibility, energy efficiency and electronic gadgetry. Each of these homes is an exquisite representation of the integrity consistently found in Japanese interior design, in both new construction and old.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com 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 labors 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, New York, or anywhere in between. With more than 450 color photos, this book serves as a visual monument to a disappearing way of life and as a resource for those wanting to capture the flavor 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

Marcia Iwatate is well-known in the Japanese design and food industry for her work in art direction and interior design. She is the co-author of Japan Houses, Korea Style and the award-winning Shunju. She divides her time between Seoul and Tokyo

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; Hardcover with Jacket edition (June 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804818584
• ISBN-13: 978-0804818582
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #719,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST for Japanophiles, June 13, 1999

By 

K. Heffernan "Canadian in OC" (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Japan Country Living (Hardcover)

This is an amazing book, as are all by Amy Katoh. I was lucky enough to live in Tokyo two doors away from her store, and visited it at LEAST weekly.

She specializes in simple but beautiful "country craftsmanship," as opposed to the opulent, such as dress kimino, and such.

Her knowledge of Japanese culture and her sensitivity has even awakened the appeciation of Japanese citizens who had previously taken their material culture for granted.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Phogography, August 19, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Japan Country Living (Hardcover)

Spectacular photographs serve to illustrate a view of Japan that is far different from the bustling cities. This represents three things to me:

First is the fact that until recently Japan was a rural rountry. People lived a farming, fishing existance.

Second, the sense of using natural surfaces: wood, fabric, thatch and some rudamentory manufactured items: paper, pottery, cast iron makes for a room appearance that we could all strive to find.

Third, as with any architecture book, the ideas of style, decoration, and utility in a small space give one ideas that may well be applicable in housing designs that we may be considering.

These houses have a utility and a simplicity that is all their own. It is great to see what they have done with simple items and a rather small amount of money. These are not the million dollar homes often seen in architecture books, these are lived in.

Beautiful book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much More Than a Design Book, February 19, 2010

By 

Theseus "theseus" (US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japan Country Living (Hardcover)

Tuttle first released this book back in the early 90's and it has, deservedly, become a publishing hit.

The concept is simple: the design elements of Japan's traditional country lifestyle. But however, beautiful the interiors may be, this is more important as a book of photography and as a book of anthropology. Something like 375 color photographs are featured, photographs of clarity and of careful composition, showing interiors, exteriors, common objects, kitchens, clothing, set tables, prepared food, agriculture, and, to a lesser extent, the people. Since objects and reveal much about lifestyles, in this book the pace, the feel, the soul of rural Japan really shines through.