This book wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be about, but still fascinating nonetheless. The drawings were well done, and the information presented was even better. I enjoyed learning about Edo era Japan, and how we can implement its ideals into the modern day world. It did take me a bit to get through the book, as it was chock full of information.

Whilst this is the third edition, the preface clarifies that the changes have been minor so it’s effectively a reissue of the 2013 second edition. Based on extensive historical research, Brown narrates stories of life in Edo period Japan in c. 1800 and show how a circular economy could work. Japan at this stage had few interactions with the rest of the world so needed to be a self-sufficient country. It’s also worth noting that by 1800, Japan had experienced nearly 200 years of continual peace so hadn’t expended lots of its resources in fighting other countries.

There are 3 sections to the book: one looking at country life, one looking at city life and one looking at aristocratic (samurai) life. The descriptions of life are very detailed and come with many drawings of implements, house designs, objects, how to farm rice, how to thatch a house, etc. so for anyone wanting to learn about Edo-period life in Japan, this book is a fascinating resource to dip into.

At the end of each section Brown then draws lessons for the modern world from these stories of 1800s Japan. What’s clear is that every aspect of life is likely to need re-engineering especially our use of energy and water as well as changing what materials we use so that circularity is built into everything. For example, Edo Japan farms used water multiple times before it was released back into the rivers but we use water once before it goes for sewage treatments – to build efficiencies into our houses, we’d need to re-plumb them so that the shower water (had in the evening using solar heated water) fed the washing machine/dishwasher before being used to flush the toilet. Are we willing to do this (and give up space for water storage tanks)? When something is broken, isn’t our natural inclination to throw it away? What if almost everything could be repaired and the repair was cheaper than buying new?

Brown does succumb to an idealisation of the Japanese. A striking example is in the preface where he claims that the Japanese “national identity [is] rooted in superlative ethical values”. Given the behaviour of the Japanese during the Pacific War, I doubt the Chinese or Koreans or Okinawans would agree with this view. He also glosses over unpleasant aspects of Japanese culture such as killing babies at birth or enforced singleness for second or third sons, to keep population numbers down. It’s also unclear how ideas spread around Japan – only samurai were permitted to travel so how did villages learn about new innovations?

In conclusion, this is an interesting read with many suggestions on sustainable living. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fascinating study of Edo Japan. This book is not really a photo-heavy design book, per se, but more of an in-depth research project with mostly a lot of writing and some sketches.

As such, I didn't have the time to really read and study the whole thing, but as I skimmed it I realize I'd like to take time to read it all at a later time as the topic is very important to society.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley for sending me an Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a very interesting and informative book. I loved the illustrations and the way the book was set out, and would like to own a physical copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is one of those unique books that may not have mass market appeal, but those interested in not only sustainable living, but homes of the samurai, are going to find this an interesting read. It covers micro-economies, the life of restraint, the organization of the samurai garden and their handicrafts, but then also the importance of an urban tree canopy. There is so much information here and it is all accompanied by pictures drawn in a sort of loose illustration style. There is something comforting reading about this time period, well for me, it gave me an excuse to sort of slow down and enjoy things a bit more.

I took my time reading the book and I feel this is one of those nonfiction reads which do demand to be read taking time to ponder over the issues mentioned and think about what the book offers about them.

I find the cover really soothing fit for the contents. I find the doodles/illustrations adding fun and making the reading more enjoyable.

Definitely for the adults and new adults who are thinking about planning to live more sustainably and how to go about it.

Even though the experiences and the explanations are based in Japan which might not fit for everywhere else, I still feel the book has lots to offer and we would be able to gain some knowledge on how to balance nature, our needs and the waste we generate.

An absolute insightful read.

Thank you, Stone Bridge Press, for the advance reading copy.

This was a very interesting and informative book! I loved the illustrations and would like to own a physical copy that I could look back on. I highly recommend it!

I realized I'd already read an earlier edition of this book and reviewed it. Not much else to say about it other than it is nice that they updated it and the content remains useful and illuminating.