Eco Living Japan


Book Description

"Features include an interesting use of light, different types of wood, asymmetrical designs and balance, and a harmonious mixture of the old and new. This is much more than solar panels on roofs and recycled materials! --HaikuGirl's Japan blog"




Green Tea Living


Book Description

Starting with the notion that some traditions—like drinking green tea for health and mental acuity—embody timeless wisdom for living, Toshimi A. Kayaki offers dozens of wise old Japanese ways for improving how you look and feel while respecting nature and the environment. Carry your own pair of chopsticks, wear five-toe socks, eat salty plums, use rice water as floor wax, do “eco-laundry,” and always set aside 10 percent for savings . . . you get the idea. By leading a “green tea life,” you’ll help yourself and the planet. Toshimi A. Kayaki, born and raised in Japan, now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and has published twenty-two books on women’s and cross-cultural issues.




Just Enough


Book Description

How the mindset of traditional Japanese society can guide our own efforts to lead a green lifestyle today. If we want to live sustainably, how should we feel about nature? About waste? About our forests and rivers? About food? Just Enough is a book of stories and sketches that give valuable insight into what it is like to live in a sustainable society by describing life in Japan some two hundred years ago, during the late Edo period, when cities and villages faced many of the same environmental challenges we do today and met them beautifully and inventively.




Ecovillages


Book Description

In a world of dwindling natural resources and mounting environmental crisis, who is devising ways of living that will work for the long haul? And how can we, as individuals, make a difference? To answer these fundamental questions, Professor Karen Litfin embarked upon a journey to many of the world’s ecovillagesÑintentional communities at the cutting-edge of sustainable living. From rural to urban, high tech to low tech, spiritual to secular, she discovered an under-the-radar global movement making positive and radical changes from the ground up. In this inspiring and insightful book, Karen Litfin shares her unique experience of these experiments in sustainable living through four broad windows - ecology, economics, community, and consciousness - or E2C2. Whether we live in an ecovillage or a city, she contends, we must incorporate these four key elements if we wish to harmonize our lives with our home planet. Not only is another world possible, it is already being born in small pockets the world over. These micro-societies, however, are small and time is short. Fortunately - as Litfin persuasively argues - their successes can be applied to existing social structures, from the local to the global scale, providing sustainable ways of living for generations to come. You can learn more about Karen's experiences on the Ecovillages website: http://ecovillagebook.org/




Prefabulous World


Book Description

A stunning look at how people around the world are using prefabrication to create energy-efficient, sustainable, and stylish homes. Prefabulous World is the fourth book in Sheri Konnes’s revolutionary Prefabulous series. Presenting an international look at sustainable home design, it explores a compelling range of design styles and cutting-edge green technologies. The rising cost of fuel and the growing commitment to protect the environment have sparked exciting innovations in prefab home construction around the world. Showcasing many of the unlimited possibilities offered by prefabrication to build increasingly energy-efficient homes, Prefabulous World features fifty sophisticated examples of eco-friendly home design in Australia, New Zealand;Japan, Canada, the United States, England, Germany, South Africa, and beyond. “As we look into the future, it is clear the more and more intelligent materials and energies will be brought to hand as preassembled optimized components and systems, and they will be beautiful—just witness the homes we enjoy discovering in this lovely book.” —William McDonough, designer, advisor, thought leader, and co-author of Cradle to Cradle and The Upcycle




Bushido: the Soul of Japan


Book Description

Bushido: The Soul of Japan written by Inazo Nitobe was one of the first books on samurai ethics that was originally written in English for a Western audience, and has been subsequently translated into many other languages (also Japanese). Nitobe found in Bushido, the Way of the Warrior, the sources of the virtues most admired by his people: rectitude, courage, benevolence, politeness, sincerity, honor, loyalty and self-control, and he uses his deep knowledge of Western culture to draw comparisons with Medieval Chivalry, Philosophy, and Christianity.




The Abundance of Less


Book Description

Inspiring stories of 10 people who left urban Japan to live ‘the simple life’ in the rural mountains—for anyone interested in sustainable living, Japanese counterculture, and Eastern spirituality “Subversive in the best possible way.” —Bill McKibben, New York Times–bestselling author The Abundance of Less captures the texture of sustainable lives well lived in these ten profiles of ordinary—yet exceptional—men and women who left behind mainstream existences in urban Japan to live surrounded by the luxuries of nature, art, friends, delicious food, and an abundance of time. Drawing on traditional Eastern spiritual wisdom and culture, these pioneers describe the profound personal transformations they underwent as they escaped the stress, consumerism, busyness, and dependence on technology of modern life. This intimate and evocative book tells of their fulfilling lives as artists, philosophers, and farmers who rely on themselves for happiness and sustenance. By inviting readers to enter into the essence of these individuals’ days, Couturier shows us how we too can bring more meaning and richness to our own lives.




The Rough Guide to Japan


Book Description

The award-winning Rough Guide to Japan is the definitive guide to this fascinating country with its stunning landscapes, dynamic pop culture, world-class dining and rich history. It will guide you with reliable information and a clearly explained background on everything from Japan's history, religions, arts, movies and music to the country's pressing environmental issues. Whether you're looking for great places to eat and drink or the most exciting places to party and the newest accommodation, you'll find the solution. Plus, all the major and many off-the-beaten-track sights are covered, including tropical dives in Okinawa, mountain traverses across the Japanese Alps and contemporary art exhibits on islands in the Inland Sea. Accurate maps and comprehensive practical information help you get under the skin of this dynamic country, whilst stunning photography makes The Rough Guide to Japan your ultimate travelling companion. Now available in epub format. Make the most of your trip with The Rough Guide to Japan.




Living with a Green Heart


Book Description

“If you want one of the shortest, fastest routes to getting toxic chemicals out of your life, get behind the wheel of Gay Browne’s Living with a Green Heart and you’ll get there in no time flat.” —Ken Cook, President, Environmental Working Group In an increasingly toxic world, the paths to environmental health and personal well-being run parallel. The journey begins with a few small steps. Is the damage we’re doing to our planet literally leaving you sick, sore, and gasping for air? Want to take back our inalienable rights to clean air, clean water, and healthy food? In this quietly revolutionary book, environmental pioneer and founder of Greenopia, Gay Browne, shares a roadmap for making incremental changes that will not only transform your life, but heal the world we share. From the home to the office, from the foods we eat to the clothes we wear, here are actions you can take today that will improve your Personal Environmental Health, and help you stop feeling overwhelmed, reduce illness, improve sleep, mood, and focus, and start making a difference, including: *Make conscious choices when shopping, and support companies with good environmental stewardship and healthy products. *Test your water for harmful chemicals, install an affordable water filtration system, and reduce your water use by utilizing water more efficiently. *Work with your doctor to create a personal plan for detoxing your body. *Use only non-toxic and organic household products, and choose organic, eco-friendly fabrics made by sustainable and fair trade certified companies. *Choose the method of transportation that makes the lightest carbon footprint. With these and many other actions, Gay Browne’s work has taught her that even the smallest change for the better, faithfully practiced, can have an immense positive impact on our minds, bodies, and spirits—not to mention the planet.




Miyazakiworld


Book Description

The story of filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's life and work, including his significant impact on Japan and the world A thirtieth-century toxic jungle, a bathhouse for tired gods, a red-haired fish girl, and a furry woodland spirit—what do these have in common? They all spring from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki, one of the greatest living animators, known worldwide for films such as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and The Wind Rises. Japanese culture and animation scholar Susan Napier explores the life and art of this extraordinary Japanese filmmaker to provide a definitive account of his oeuvre. Napier insightfully illuminates the multiple themes crisscrossing his work, from empowered women to environmental nightmares to utopian dreams, creating an unforgettable portrait of a man whose art challenged Hollywood dominance and ushered in a new chapter of global popular culture.