Japan

Fülszöveg

JAPAN
A LIVING PORTRAIT
Japan is alive with much more than tradition. Cities
reverberate with the whirl of crisscrossing trains,
pulsating neon, and hurry-scurrying crowds. High-
tech skyscrapers rise from the rice paddies. Rural
festivals unleash a torrent of raw energy in an
otherwise tranquil countryside. And ancient volca-
noes—after snoozing for centuries—awaken with a
thunderous roar to remind the islands' inhabitants
of the mighty forces of nature.
Beneath all the frenetic forward motion of
present-day Japan lies a foundation built on over
a millennium of recorded history and a vast legacy
of artistic and cultural traditions. The Japanese often
pause to reflect on their past—for there lies the key
to their national identity, so often obscured in today's
confusing web of satellites and semiconductors.
The contemporary color schemes, time-honored
traditions, and dynamic natural beauty of Japan come
to life in this lavishly illustrated book. Geisha and... Tovább

Fülszöveg

JAPAN
A LIVING PORTRAIT
Japan is alive with much more than tradition. Cities
reverberate with the whirl of crisscrossing trains,
pulsating neon, and hurry-scurrying crowds. High-
tech skyscrapers rise from the rice paddies. Rural
festivals unleash a torrent of raw energy in an
otherwise tranquil countryside. And ancient volca-
noes—after snoozing for centuries—awaken with a
thunderous roar to remind the islands' inhabitants
of the mighty forces of nature.
Beneath all the frenetic forward motion of
present-day Japan lies a foundation built on over
a millennium of recorded history and a vast legacy
of artistic and cultural traditions. The Japanese often
pause to reflect on their past—for there lies the key
to their national identity, so often obscured in today's
confusing web of satellites and semiconductors.
The contemporary color schemes, time-honored
traditions, and dynamic natural beauty of Japan come
to life in this lavishly illustrated book. Geisha and
robots, Fuji and fine arts, shrines and skyscrapers—
they're all here. An illuminating foreword by Mike
Mansfield, former U.S. senator and ambassador to
Japan, precedes a gallery of over 140 color photo-
graphs that highlight the nature, modern life, tradi-
tional arts, and contemporary culture of Japan.
Accompanying the collage of photos are essays by
author-poet Dorothy Britton, journalist Frederick
Hiroshi Katayama, art historian Martha J. McClin-
tock, and architect Azby Brown, who offer incisive
perspectives on the country, its arts, and its people.
Through word and picture, this one volume
brings together the contrasting faces of Japan. From
the legendary cherry blossoms of Yoshinoyama
to the colorful kitsch of urban architecture, Japan:
A Living Portrait captures the eclectic synthesis of
things past, present, and future that makes this
island nation so endlessly fascinating. Vissza