Japan Country Living [Hardcover]

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

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

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (June 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804818584
• ISBN-13: 978-0804818582
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.8 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #816,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful

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

By K. Heffernan

Format: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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Phogography August 19, 2005

By John Matlock

Format: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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

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

By Theseus

Format: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.