Hidden Japan: An Astonishing World of Thatched Villages, Ancient Shrines and Primeval Forests

Hidden Japan: An Astonishing World of Thatched Villages, Ancient Shrines and Primeval Forests – Ebook Instant Download/Delivery ISBN(s): 9784805317518,4805317515,9781462924189, 1462924182

Product detail:

• ISBN 10: 1462924182
• ISBN 13:9781462924189
• Author: Alex Kerr

In Alex Kerr’s critically acclaimed Lost Japan and Dogs and Demons, he documented the decline of the traditional landscapes of Japan, his adopted home of many years. Here, in Hidden Japan he makes a journey of rediscovery to find the wonders that still remain.

Originally published in Japanese as a call to preserve disappearing facets of Japan’s rich and ancient culture, Hidden Japan records Kerr’s travels to various remote and lesser-known places where pockets of traditional culture can still be found. Some are faraway—like Aogashima Island, 200 miles south of Tokyo—while others are easy to reach, such as Mii-dera temple just east of Kyoto. The ten engaging essays in this book describe surprising remnants of Japan’s fragile physical and cultural environment, including:

• Avant-garde Butoh dancing in the remote village of Tashiro in Akita Prefecture
• How shochu liquor is distilled from tropical ferns on the Pacific island of Aogashima
• An austere but delicious kaiseki meal in rural Tottori Prefecture composed of local herbs and meats
• Anecdotes relating to Kerr’s childhood growing up in Japan and his passion for restoring old houses
• The damage caused by governmental infrastructure and reforestation policies, as well as by tourism
• Plus many other topics!

Table of contents:

1. Map of Japan
2. Introduction: Japan’s Hidden Places
3. Preface to the Japanese Edition: A Personal Pilgrimage
4. Hidden Hamlets
5. Tastes of the Countryside
6. Shinto and Buddhist Stones
7. The Origin of Butoh Dance
8. The Luxury of Nothing There
9. Jurassic Beach
10. Old Castle Town
11. Esoteric Secrets
12. Living on a Volcano
13. Return to the Misaki Houses
14. Postscript: A New Philosophy of Travel
15. Afterword by Kiyono Yumi
16. Glossary of People, Terms and Places

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