This volume is divided into three sections: narrative history; significant people and places; and general reference. It is intended to help its readers get their hands around Japanese history - from the time of the shoguns to early 21st century political machinations, and to get the numbers on the economy, from post-war recovery to becoming a world force and the Asian economic crash.
The Garden As Architecture: Form and Spirit in the Gardens of Japan, China and Korea
Gardens and their related architecture have always been designed in Japan, China, and Korea as a single, cohesive environment. The particular forms that these environments took over the centuries naturally reflect each country's differing aesthetic principles, but were also governed by other concerns--from religious beliefs and social structure to simple spatial or climatic constraints.
Among our collection of a dozen or more illustrated books about Japanese architecture and design, this is by far the best. The exquisite photographs are accompanied by a thorough yet interesting explanation of the various traditional styles found in Japanese architecture. Although the emphasis is upon traditional homes, the volume also includes examples of the adaptation of these styles to elegant homes in Japan today.
Japan is arguably today's most successful industrial economy, combining almost unprecedented affluence with social stability and apparent harmony. Japanese goods and cultural products--from animated movies and computer games to cars, semiconductors, and management techniques--are consumed around the world. In many ways, Japan is an icon of the modern world, and yet it remains something of an enigma to many, who see it as a confusing montage of the alien and the familiar, the ancient and modern.
