"In Praise of Shadows"

Explore the classic 1933 essay by Junichiro Tanizaki that delves into Japanese aesthetics, including the interplay of light and darkness in Western and Japanese cultures, negative space, and more. Gain a deeper understanding of Japanese esthetics expressed through architecture, traditional toilets, lacquerware, cosmetics, and food presentation.

Tadashi Ono turned me on to this book, a classic 1933 essay by the novelist Junichiro Tanizaki that meditates on Japanese aesthetics, including the role of light and darkness in both Western and Japanese culture, subtly and negative space. Beautifully written, this short book covers a lot of ground -- architecture, traditional toilets, lacquerware, cosmetics, food, and on and on. From reading it, I gained a deeper understanding of how Japanese esthetics are expressed, which made me think a lot about tableware and Japanese food presentation. You need to read this book. Check it out here.