{"title":"Books by Alex Kerr","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9783836588430","title":"Living in Japan","description":"\u003cp\u003eSo rich and unique is \u003cstrong\u003etraditional Japanese architecture\u003c\/strong\u003e that it’s nearly impossible to improve upon. Yet \u003cstrong\u003econtemporary Japanese designers and architects\u003c\/strong\u003e keep finding fresh approaches to refurbish and take inspiration from the ways of old. Whether it’s a pristinely preserved traditional house or a sleek modern apartment, the best Japanese homes share a love of \u003cstrong\u003ecleverly designed spaces and warm materials\u003c\/strong\u003e like wood, brick, and bamboo.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e From a thatched roof farmhouse occupied by a Zen priest to \u003cstrong\u003eTadao Ando\u003c\/strong\u003e’s experimental 4x4 House, from \u003cstrong\u003eShigeru Ban\u003c\/strong\u003e’s conceptual Shutter House to a beautiful domestic homage to bamboo, this elegant compendium traverses the \u003cstrong\u003emultifaceted landscape of Japanese living today\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Enriched by \u003cstrong\u003e170 brand new, unpublished photographs\u003c\/strong\u003e, this edition takes you on breathtaking journey through the Land of the Rising Sun—complete with a \u003cstrong\u003elist of addresses\u003c\/strong\u003e, should you wish to undertake this journey to Japan’s most fascinating inns and homes yourself. \u003cstrong\u003eAn insightful glossary\u003c\/strong\u003e of key terms, such as \u003cem\u003etatami\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eshoji\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003enoren\u003c\/em\u003e, will also help you come to grips with all elements of Japan’s \u003cstrong\u003eunique aesthetic of Eastern minimalism\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43127905648818,"sku":"9783836588430","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783836588430_5a060a38-2ef7-4c14-86de-284b6c4e48b8.jpg?v=1786031412"},{"product_id":"9780141979748","title":"Lost Japan","description":"An enchanting and fascinating insight into Japanese landscape, culture, history and future. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOriginally written in Japanese, this passionate, vividly personal book draws on the author's experiences in Japan over thirty years. Alex Kerr brings to life the ritualized world of Kabuki, retraces his initiation into Tokyo's boardrooms during the heady Bubble Years, and tells the story of the hidden valley that became his home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut the book is not just a love letter. Haunted throughout by nostalgia for the Japan of old, Kerr's book is part paean to that great country and culture, part epitaph in the face of contemporary Japan's environmental and cultural destruction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWinner of Japan's Shincho Gakugei Literature Prize, and now with a new preface.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlex Kerr is an American writer, antiques collector and Japanologist. \u003ci\u003eLost Japan \u003c\/i\u003eis his most famous work. He was the first foreigner to be awarded the Shincho Gakugei Literature Prize for the best work of non-fiction published in Japan.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201467875506,"sku":"9780141979748","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780141979748.jpg?v=1786011776"},{"product_id":"9780141988337","title":"Another Kyoto","description":"\u003ci\u003eAnother Kyoto\u003c\/i\u003e  is an insider's meditation on the hidden wonders of Japan's most  enigmatic city. Drawing on decades living in Kyoto, and on lore gleaned  from artists, Zen monks and Shinto priests, Alex Kerr illuminates the  simplest things - a temple gate, a wall, a sliding door - in a new way.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A  rich book of intimate proportions ... In Kyoto, facts and meaning are  often hidden in plain sight. Kerr's gift is to make us stop and cast our  eyes upward to a temple plaque, or to squint into the gloom of an  abbot's chamber' \u003ci\u003eJapan Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Kerr and Sokol have  performed a minor miracle by presenting that which is present in Kyoto  as that which we have yet to see. I know that I will never pass a wall,  or tread a floor, or sit on tatami the same way again' \u003ci\u003eKyoto Journal\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201543831730,"sku":"9780141988337","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780141988337.jpg?v=1786011193"},{"product_id":"9784805317518","title":"Hidden Japan","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"A sharp-tongued spokesman for Japan's environment and traditions\" —\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Alex Kerr's critically acclaimed \u003ci\u003eLost Japan\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDogs and Demons\u003c\/i\u003e, he documented the decline of the traditional landscapes of Japan, his adopted home of many years. Here, in \u003ci\u003eHidden Japan\u003c\/i\u003e he makes a journey of rediscovery to find the wonders that still remain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOriginally published in Japanese as a call to preserve disappearing facets of Japan's rich and ancient culture, \u003ci\u003eHidden Japan\u003c\/i\u003e 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:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvant-garde Butoh dancing in the remote village of Tashiro in Akita Prefecture\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow shochu liquor is distilled from tropical ferns on the Pacific island of Aogashima\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn austere but delicious kaiseki meal in rural Tottori Prefecture composed of local herbs and meats\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnecdotes relating to Kerr's childhood growing up in Japan and his passion for restoring old houses\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe damage caused by governmental infrastructure and reforestation policies, as well as by tourism\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePlus many other topics! \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKerr's sharp eye for detail and exquisite descriptions of Japanese, arts, architecture and foods will inspire readers who already appreciate his unique look at the \"reality\" of Japan beyond the romance. His personal involvement and obvious love for his subjects encourage us all to think more carefully about our own traditions and environment, and to challenge ourselves to search for better solutions to preserve what is of value all around us.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43205933990066,"sku":"9784805317518","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9784805317518.jpg?v=1786031931"},{"product_id":"9780141010007","title":"Dogs and Demons","description":"The decades of Western adulation for the Japanese 'economic miracle' failed to notice a key point: that in the pursuit of this miracle the Japanese had turned their country into a degraded, concrete shambles - a wilderness of bad planning, corruption and crowding. Now that the miracle is at an end and Japan seems set to remain in the economic doldrums it must become apparent to everyone that one of the world's greatest cultures has ruined itself almost beyond repair. Alex Kerr's wonderful book conveys vividly and furiously both the dazzling nature of Japanese culture and how the bureaucrats of a country he loves have poisoned and ruined it.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56224443695477,"sku":"9780141010007","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780141010007.jpg?v=1786011256"},{"product_id":"9780141987170","title":"Another Bangkok","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the author of \u003ci\u003eAnother Kyoto\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLost Japan\u003c\/i\u003e, a rich, personal exploration of the culture and history of Bangkok, and an essential guide for anyone visiting the city\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlex Kerr has spent over thirty years of his life living in Bangkok. As with his bestselling books on Japan, this evocative personal meditation explores the city's secret corners. Here is the huge, traffic-choked metropolis of concrete high-rises, slums and sky trains; but also a place of peace and grace. Looking afresh at everything from ceramics to Thai dance, flower patterns to old houses, Kerr reveals one of Asia's most kaleidoscopically complex cities. \u003ci\u003eAnother Bangkok \u003c\/i\u003ewill delight both those who think they know the city well and those visiting for the first time.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56225020182901,"sku":"9780141987170","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780141987170_a43e1fe3-41da-4a42-8c74-b58f87017be0.jpg?v=1786011155"},{"product_id":"9780141994208","title":"Finding the Heart Sutra","description":"\u003cb\u003e'An erudite and charming book . . . both a primer and a paean to one of the central texts of Buddhism, known as the Heart Sutra. . . Alex Kerr delves into the Japanese soul' \u003ci\u003eLiterary Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe material world is itself emptiness.\u003cbr\u003eEmptiness is itself the material world.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePowerful, mystical and concise, the \u003ci\u003eHeart Sutra\u003c\/i\u003e is believed to contain the condensed essence of all Buddhist wisdom. This brief poem on emptiness has exerted immense influence throughout Asia since the seventh century and is woven into the fabric of daily life. Yet even though it rivals the teachings of Laozi and Confucius in importance, this ancient Buddhist scripture remains barely known in the West. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDuring the many years he has spent living in Japan, Alex Kerr has been on a quest after the secrets of the Heart Sutra. Travelling from Japan, Korea, and China, to India, Mongolia, Tibet and Vietnam, this book brings together Buddhist teaching, talks with friends and mentors, and acute cultural insights to probe the universe of thought contained within this short but intense philosophical work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Marvellous ... a life's work ... a brilliant literary form, weaving reflections of the sutra with those on Alex's own magical mystery tour'\u003c\/b\u003e Alexandra Munroe, Asian Art scholar and curator","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56225108820341,"sku":"9780141994208","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780141994208_16126411-0c72-42d7-be0e-b40b30a26bd4.jpg?v=1786011378"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-alex-kerr.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}