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The Influence of Japanese Architecture on Aesthetics and Culture
How wood construction, sliding screens and the blurred line between inside and outside shaped wider Japanese taste in design, display and daily life.
Living Traditions
Architecture and Gardens
Buildings, gardens and the objects that light them.
Bonsai: Miniature Trees and Patient Shaping
A plain-language look at the history and aesthetics of bonsai, from its continental roots to the ideas of age, balance and restraint behind the potted tree.
Karesansui: The Dry Landscape Garden
How raked gravel, stones and moss suggest water, islands and mountains in the Japanese dry landscape garden, and how to view one with patience.
The Evolution of Japanese Architecture: From Traditional to Modern
A chronological look at Japanese building, from early shrines and temples through castles and townhouses to the concrete, steel and glass of modern designs.
The Evolution of Japanese Gardens: From Zen to Modern Designs
A look at how Japanese garden styles changed over time, from early pond gardens and dry landscape gardens to tea gardens, strolling gardens and modern designs.
The Role of the Japanese Garden in Shaping Aesthetics and Culture
The ideas inside Japanese garden design, including borrowed scenery, stone, water and plants, and how they helped shape wider taste and ways of seeing.
The Significance of the Japanese Lantern: A Study of its History and Significance
Lanterns in Japanese gardens, shrines and festivals: the main types of stone and paper lanterns, how they are used, and what they traditionally mean.
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Dress and Textiles Fashion, kimono, textiles and carried objects. Tea, Food and Bathing Tea, cuisine, onsen, scent and tattoo culture. Everyday Home Life Rooms, bedding, wrapping cloths and the customs of the Japanese home. Food and Drink Traditions Washoku, sweets, fermentation, sake and the seasonal table.