When Gil Garcetti visited Japan for the first time in 1967, he was struck with how surrounded he was by beauty. Returning many times over the years, Garcetti explored the concept of beauty in a project that is now released as a limited-edition folio of color photographs called Japan: A Reverence for Beauty.

Five short essays provide commentary on Japanese culture and tradition.

From the minute texture of moss on wet pavement to the expansive tapestry of an autumn forest; from a spider’s perfect web to the avant-garde skyline of Tokyo; from Shinto rites to stitching kimonos, this book provides the range of scale and breadth of subject matter that give insight into the Japanese reverence for beauty. Published in two languages, this work reveals to Japanese and Americans alike the lessons of a legacy of beauty that Japanese culture offers.

Essays: Everyday Altars of Beautyby Pico Iyer; Scattered Thoughts on Cherry Blossomsby Kendall H. Brown; The Aesthetics of Variationsby Hitoshe Abe;? Accumulation of Tema and Caringby Atsuko Tanaka; Photographer’s Statementby Gil Garcetti.

This book can now be purchased at Kinokuniya Bookstore in Little Tokyo’s Weller Court. Those outside of Los Angeles can purchase it from the publisher’s website.

Articles for you