06/12/2017
Couturier (Writing Open the Mind) offers 10 examples of simple modern lifestyles in Japan, including those of artists, farmers, and philosophers. The author, who lived in Japan for four years in his mid-20s, met everyday gurus there such as Atsuko Watanabe and her husband, potter and botanist Gufu, and visited their farmstead in the mountains of Shikoku. Based on interviews carried out on multiple stays, these profiles, which originally appeared in the Japan Times, are seamless narratives enlivened by photographs and passages from the interviewees’ writings. Some common themes that emerge are working with one’s hands, taking life more slowly, and striving for self-sufficiency. From woodblock craftsman Osamu Nakamura, Couturier learns the appeal of living outside the cash economy, while “anarchist potter” San Oizumi teaches him to “cherish the food you eat.” Every chapter ends by catching up with the figure in question, considering in particular how the Fukushima disaster affected them. The book ends with an excellent afterword telling how Couturier has applied lessons learned in Japan to daily life on 27 acres of meadow and forest in California. Without romanticizing traditional rural life, Couturier illuminates the benefits of humility. (Aug.)
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.
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*
“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 Abundance of Less: Lessons in Simple Living from Rural Japan
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.
*
“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.
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Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940169267242 |
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Publisher: | Penguin Random House |
Publication date: | 02/27/2018 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
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