This travel pictorial and Japan travel guide captures the sites and soul of Kyoto—Japan's historical and spiritual center.An elaborate kaleidoscope of craft, artistry and religion, Kyoto is one of the world's most popular travel destinations. Art and design form the weft and warp of this vibrant 1,200-year-old city, home to hundreds of gardens, palaces, villas and magnificent wooden temples, including seventeen UNESCO World Heritage sites.Like a Zen koan, K...

"Bring the art and beauty of Japan to your garden with inspiration from Kyoto Gardens."—HGTV GardensFeaturing beautiful Japanese garden photography and insightful writing, Kyoto Gardens is a labor of love from master photographer Ben Simmons and Kyoto-based writer Judith Clancy. In their rocks and plants, empty spaces and intimate details—Kyoto's gardens manifest a unique ability to provoke thought and delight in equal measure. These varied...

The Japan travel classic and cultural guide gets you wandering from downtown quarters to remote mountaintop temples....This revised and updated edition of the Japan travel classic and cultural guide gets you wandering from downtown quarters to remote mountaintop temples and features expanded information on new museums and gardens now open year-round for viewing.Judith Clancy's expert research weaves a rich narrative of Kyoto's history, local lore, and artis...

Learn the elements of the timeless beauty that is Japanese design in this concise reference volume.Japanese design is known throughout the world for its beauty, its simplicity, and its blending of traditional and contemporary effects. This succinct guide describes the influence and importance of 65 key elements that make up Japanese design, detailing their origins—and their impact on fields ranging from architecture and interior design to consumer products and high...

Step back into old Japan with this fascinating travelogue of the famous Kiso Road, an ancient route used by samurai and warlordsThe Kisoji, which runs through the Kiso Valley in the Japanese Alps, has been in use since at least 701 C.E. In the seventeenth century, it was the route that the daimyo (warlords) used for their biennial trips—along with their samurai and porters—to the new capital of Edo (now Tokyo). The natural beauty of the route is r...

A beginner?s guide to attaining wealth and prosperity through the practical uses of feng shui.Feng shui, the Chinese aesthetic practice of arranging your environment to maximize the flow of energy, has entered the mainstream of American culture, with more and more Americans realizing every day that feng shui is no New Age fad, but a proven and practical way to improve your life.This compact yet thorough guide to using feng shui to create prosperity and abun...

**Winner of the 2006 American Horticultural Society Book Award**The Art of the Japanese Garden is the only historical overview of Japanese gardens that covers Japanese gardening culture in one beautiful book.Japanese gardens are rooted in two traditions: an indigenous prehistoric tradition in which patches of graveled forest or pebbled beach were dedicated to nature spirits, and a tradition from China and Korea that included elements such as ponds,...

A travelogue of Bhutan and its neighbors in the Himalayas that introduces readers to a world that has emerged from the middle ages only to find itself peering into the abyss of modernity. "For anyone with a serious interest in Buddhism, it's essential reading" (Washington Post Book World).For more than a thousand years Tibet, Sikkim, Ladakh, and Bhutan were the santuaries of Tantric Buddhism. But in the last half of this century, geopolitics has scoured th...

Shunmyo Masuno, Japan's leading garden designer, is at once Japan's most highly acclaimed landscape architect and an 18th-generation Zen Buddhist priest, presiding over daily ceremonies at the Kenkoji Temple in Yokohama. He is celebrated for his unique ability to blend strikingly contemporary elements with the traditional design vernacular. He has worked in ultramodern urban hotels and in some of Japan's most famous classic gardens. In each project, his work as a designer of landscape arch...

Featuring dozens of Japanese netsuke masterpieces and extensive commentary, this Japanese art book is a treasured collector's item.Netsuke are superb miniature carvings, usually less than two inches high, that have been created by Japanese artists for over three hundred years. During that time, they have portrayed almost every aspect of life and culture in Japan.These tiny carvings were traditionally used to prevent the cord attached to a gentleman's medici...

From the author of Starbright and Moonbeam--guided meditations to help adults and children find their spiritual depths and discover serenity and creativity in our stressful world.A collection of guided meditations to help adults and children find their spiritual depths, and discover serenity and creativity in our stressful world.

Featuring beautiful photographs and insightful commentary this Japanese gardening book is a must-have for any gardening or zen enthusiast.At the heart of a Japanese garden is harmony with nature. More than simply a landscape of trees and flowering shrubs, a Japanese garden provides a place of serenity and rest, filled with peaceful spots that lend themselves to meditation and contemplation. Japanese Gardens celebrates and illustrates this ideal, showcasing...