Japanese aesthetics through the eyes of Junichiro Tanizaki in In Praise of Shadows. In this little book I stumbled upon, a spanish translation, Tanizaki makes palpable the idiosyncrasies of his native Japan. Most specifically, the concept of beauty. And how this concept, which can be seen throughout every aspect of the culture from the structure of their houses, to the materials used in daily lives, from the lacquer to writing paper, has been suffering from the influence of Western culture and their ideas of beauty and utility.
For the rest here.
