Japan is the first modern 'free world' superpower with a non-Western culture; its prominence in the world grows day by day. As a result, there is a burgeoning interest in the West in all aspects of Japanese culture. Japanese gardens and buildings have received considerable exposure recently but this timely publication is the first exposition of the Japanese city. It covers the form, character and organization of the buildings and spaces in Japanese cities and particularly the relationships between the buildings, squares and streets. The author provides a historical overview of Western attitudes to Japanese built-form and contrasts these relationships in Japan with those of the West and explores the very different ways of thinking about space and time that underpin these contrasts in city form and organizations.

Table of Contents

Preface. Acknowledgements. Western Interest in the Japanese City. Areas and Line: From Written to City Texts. Aspects of Form: Street and Related Scenes. Strands of Culture. Learning from the Japanese City. Appendices. Bibliography.