Books
English Books
Lost Japan
Lost Japan is a series of autobiographical essays, experiences I had since coming to Japan as a boy in 1964, and how the country has changed.
Another Kyoto
Based on forty years in Kyoto, these conversations with Kathy Sokol, turn what we think we know about Kyoto inside-out.
Bangkok Found
Companion to Lost Japan, Bangkok Found is a mix of the essential and the quirky, as old culture meets global fusion in the crossroads that is Bangkok.
Dogs & Demons
Dogs and Demons combines a study of the financial world, the bureaucracy, and culture, to get at the roots of Japan’s long malaise since the 1990s.
Living in Japan
With photos by Reto Guntli, and text written jointly by me and Kathy Sokol, this wide-ranging book covers traditional houses and contemporary design.
Finding the Heart Sutra
Weaving together memory and history, Finding the Heart Sutra explores the many ways this brief but intense text influences the culture of the world.
Japanese Books
美しい日本の残像
Utsukushiki Nihon no Zanzo “Last Glimpse of Beautiful Japan” is the original version of Lost Japan, writtten in Japanese in 1993.
ニッポン景観論
Nippon Keikanron “Theory of Japanese Landscape” is a visual critique of Japan’s wire, concrete, and sign-ridden landscape of today.
観光亡国論
Kanko Bokokuron “Destroying the Nation with Tourism” discusses the problems of tourism in Japan and means of management and control.
犬と鬼
Inu to Oni is the Japanese version of Dogs and Demons, describing Japan’s decline after 1990 and its causes.
「日本ブランド」で行こう
‘Nihon Burando’ de Iko “Let’s go with ‘Brand Japan'” is a short book calling for rediscovery of Japan’s traditions and their modern relevance.
世流に逆らう
Seryu ni sakarau “Going Against the Trends of the Times” is a book of interviews between me and Abbot Saeki Kaisho of Joruriji Temple near Nara.
Coming out november 2020
Finding the Heart Sutra
Asian Wisdom
Weaving together memory, history and calligraphy, Finding the Heart Sutra explores the many ways this brief but intense ancient text continues to influence the culture of Japan – and the world – today.