Furo: The Japanese Trendy Bath Life

Rating:
Summary: Not what you might think
Review: I ordered the book because I am in the process of designing an O'Furo for my home, and I hoped to get some ideas. Sadly, there was very little in the book to help me. Instead, I was treated a taste of opinion from several rich Japanese, and a smattering of relevant photos.
The Section on Resorts was particularly poor. I lived in Japan for eight years and visited many wonderful onsen. None were in this book. Of the 35 pictures in this section, only 7 were of actual baths. The rest were of tatami rooms, meals served, sinks and counters, etc.
Perhaps the most disappointing part of the book was the section dedicated to Ukiyo E. Although parts of this wonderful artform are known to be pornographic, it is generally not an emphasis of the genre. Mr. Tsumura does not seem to think so, and has chosen to show a variety of pubic regions and breasts in nearly every picture in the section. The entire section was a failure of taste.
All in all, it is a highly disappointing book and I would not recommend spending any money on it.

Rating:
Summary: Not what you might think
Review: I ordered the book because I am in the process of designing an O'Furo for my home, and I hoped to get some ideas. Sadly, there was very little in the book to help me. Instead, I was treated a taste of opinion from several rich Japanese, and a smattering of relevant photos.
The Section on Resorts was particularly poor. I lived in Japan for eight years and visited many wonderful onsen. None were in this book. Of the 35 pictures in this section, only 7 were of actual baths. The rest were of tatami rooms, meals served, sinks and counters, etc.
Perhaps the most disappointing part of the book was the section dedicated to Ukiyo E. Although parts of this wonderful artform are known to be pornographic, it is generally not an emphasis of the genre. Mr. Tsumura does not seem to think so, and has chosen to show a variety of pubic regions and breasts in nearly every picture in the section. The entire section was a failure of taste.
All in all, it is a highly disappointing book and I would not recommend spending any money on it.

Rating:
Summary: Tub styles of the rich and famous.
Review: Some books beg for space on the coffee table. It's the usual place snobby friends file away their copies of "Archetectural Digest", or "Forbes", hoping you'll never notice that the adress labels printed on them are marked out with felt-tip pen. If you hold them to the light, you can just make out that they were sent originally to the office of their dermatologist. In the case of "Furo, the Japanese Trendy Bath Life", this tome is most enjoyable read in its' natural environment. In my case the bathroom is definately the least trendy room in my apartment. Fortunately with the addition of this book, i can see my "sitting room" become a little trendier, perhaps. The photographs of various dauntingly expensive bathrooms are expansive, and beautiful. It definately takes my mind away from the fact that I'm usually reading it on a "throne" that wobbles, thanks to an iffy wax seal, and bolts that I can't be bothered to tighten. Tsumura can be given to some overly flowery writing at times. An example of this can be found on page 30. "Mrs. Ukita's neat white bathroom on the sea-side of Mediterranean Sea is a shining example of her family's happiness." "The hero and heroine of this script, Mr. and Mrs. Ukita, always smile softly as though they were characters in a film." This sort of prose, might tempt some to lunge at the Ukitas with a small hand axe. Those violent thoughts, however would probably be put to rest after a vigourous soak in their luxurious bathtub. As a final thought to lurkers, expecting a voyeuristic view of total strangers sitting naked in exotic pools of fragrantly scented water. You will be extremely dissappointed. For anyone interested in stunning portraits of lavish bathrooms, and their accoutriments, this just may be the book You've searched for all Your life.