See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/02/08

"The Japanese Bath" begins with the key distinction that while in the West a bath is a place you go to cleanse the body, in Japan a bath is where you go to cleanse the soul. Whether you are talking about being alone and contemplative, or with family... See more

"The Japanese Bath" begins with the key distinction that while in the West a bath is a place you go to cleanse the body, in Japan a bath is where you go to cleanse the soul. Whether you are talking about being alone and contemplative, or with family and friends, the Japanese are committed to the idea of taking as much time and care with your bath as you do with the cooking and serving of a meal. Bruce Smith and Yoshiko Yamamoto attempt to both introduce and explain the ritual of taking a Japanese bath, with its prescribed order of rinsing, washing, and soaking, as well as the Zen meditation that allows you to cleanse your soul so that you can emerge refreshed, renewed, and serene. This book also focuses on the aesthetic of bathing Japanese style, which covers a lot more than design. There are some distinct architectural features that distinguish Japanese from Western bath, but there is more to the experience than putting a wooden bathtub in your home. Much more important is the idea... See less

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See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/02/08

If the food of a culture has a pulse, in Japan that pulse would be called washoku. It's a set of principles in fives that takes into account color, taste, ways of preparing food, the diner's senses, and the outlook brought to bear on both the cooking... See more

If the food of a culture has a pulse, in Japan that pulse would be called washoku. It's a set of principles in fives that takes into account color, taste, ways of preparing food, the diner's senses, and the outlook brought to bear on both the cooking and the dining experience. The result? Meals that are balanced, pleasing, invigorating, healing, and satisfying--all in ways that seep deep into the soul. It's the great good luck of the West that Elizabeth Andoh chose a life in Japan and a focus on food. Her expertise has brought forth the award-winning An Ocean of Flavor as well as countless newspaper and magazine pieces. With Washoku Andoh takes the reader into the heart of the Japanese home kitchen. She explains the guiding philosophy then brings it into practical terms with a section on the essential washoku pantry. Her section on the washoku kitchen begins with cutting and ends with shaping and molding. Recipes are found in chapters on Stocks and Condiments; Soups; Rice; Noodles;... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/02/08

Japanese schoolgirl fashions and subcultures have sprung up, burned out, mutated, and evolved into a pop culture phenomenon gone global from Gwen Stefani's "Harajuku Girls" to Gothic Lolita-fueled manga and the deadly schoolgirl in Kill Bill, it's no... See more

Japanese schoolgirl fashions and subcultures have sprung up, burned out, mutated, and evolved into a pop culture phenomenon gone global from Gwen Stefani's "Harajuku Girls" to Gothic Lolita-fueled manga and the deadly schoolgirl in Kill Bill, it's no wonder that international fashion designers look to the streets of Tokyo for fresh inspiration. This playful and thoroughly researched handbook examines the key styles and subcultures past and present: sailor-suited gangsters, Pippi Longstockings risen from the dead, girls in blackface, teens sporting giant hamster costumes, and more. Each fashion profile is packed with photos and illustrations, history, ideal boyfriends, and must-have items. Also included are a gatefold evolutionary fashion chart, resources, and makeup tips. At last, an in-depth guide to what the girls are wearing and why on earth they're wearing it. See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/02/08

Follows the Popularity of Phaidon's Fruits and Fresh Fruits A fashion phenomenon born in the underground clubs of Tokyo and Osaka has made its way aboveground. The streets of Japan are filled with teenagers clad in corsets, spikes, lacy Victorian... See more

Follows the Popularity of Phaidon's Fruits and Fresh Fruits A fashion phenomenon born in the underground clubs of Tokyo and Osaka has made its way aboveground. The streets of Japan are filled with teenagers clad in corsets, spikes, lacy Victorian dresses, dark eye makeup, black spandex, frilly tutus, patterned knee-highs, ruffled bows, and wigs of all lengths and styles. A mixture of high fashion and home-made ensembles, the Gothic and Lolita scene is one of the more bizarre hybrids of Japanese street fashion, boasting thousands of devotees who dedicate their lives to creating ever more flamboyant and original variations of this fused style. GOTHIC & LOLITA, edited by Katsuhiko Ishikawa with photographs by Masayuki Yoshinaga, is a new and exclusive photography collection that celebrates the eclectic and bizarre Gothic street fashion of Japan's teens. Specially commissioned by Phaidon Press and based on the creative design of the best selling Fruits and Fresh Fruits, GOTHIC & LOLITA... See less

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See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/02/08

From The New Yorker In 1997, Aoki, a Japanese photographer who specialized in capturing street fashion in Paris, London, and New York, turned his eye to Tokyo's Harajuku district. There young people swarmed the streets in a playful riot of... See more

From The New Yorker In 1997, Aoki, a Japanese photographer who specialized in capturing street fashion in Paris, London, and New York, turned his eye to Tokyo's Harajuku district. There young people swarmed the streets in a playful riot of candy-colored, eye-catching ensembles, creatively blending hand-modified designer-label items with T-shirts and thrift-shop finds. Fruits, the magazine Aoki founded to feature his Harajuku photographs, went on to acquire an international following. A previous volume of Fruits pictures appeared in 2001, and in this follow-up the eclecticism seems inexhaustible. The portrait subjects, asked to explain their outfits, are drolly laconic ("boring feeling," "like Snow White"). And though recognizable types-punks, hip-hop kids, jocks-regularly appear, the over-all effect is less that of a tribal identity than of a super-cute costume party. Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker Book Description Presented in an identical format to Phaidon’s previous Fruits,... See less

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See this at: tokyopop.com| Added on 06/02/08

More than any other publication, Gothic & Lolita Bible has played an instrumental role in defining the Japanese Lolita style. A quarterly mook (magazine/book hybrid) that's a combination fashion magazine, culture guide, and art book, the Bible caters... See more

More than any other publication, Gothic & Lolita Bible has played an instrumental role in defining the Japanese Lolita style. A quarterly mook (magazine/book hybrid) that's a combination fashion magazine, culture guide, and art book, the Bible caters to fans of two separate but related fashions: Gothic and--to a greater extent--Lolita. Volume 1 of the U.S. edition offers content from four volumes of this definitive Japanese mook for the first time in English, along with exciting original content covering the Gothic and Lolita culture in North America. See less

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