Rating: 
Summary: Insightful and beautiful, but overwhelmingly elitist
Review: When Alex Kerr talks about "Lost Japan," it is clearly his own personal Japan that is being lost. He speaks fondly of the "literati" of old Japan, a group of well-off leisure class who whistled their days away creating art and appreciating beauty, free of toil or earthly constraints. Oxford and Yale educated, coming from money, Kerr firmly sees himself as the last vanguard of the literati, and his lifestyle is leaving him. The lifestyle of the educated elite.Composed of a series of unrelated articles, the book tells the tale of Kerr's life, of things that happen to capture his fancy, and of the intersecting lives of wealthy art dealers, artists and artisans. Everyone in the book is a genius. Everyone, the last embodiment of their vanishing breed. The world has become too cold to appreciate them. This is the Japan that is lost. The book is incredibly well-written, and Kerr sees with the eyes of an artist. He has insights into parts of Japanese culture that would normally be closed, such as the back stage scene of Kabuki theater. His writing is strong enough to make you long for that vanishing Japan. Secret places and unappreciated nooks will appear as interesting as the most famous temple in Kyoto. Worth reading and enjoyable, but ultimately a grain of salt is needed. Kerr's elitism leaves him blind to anything modern, any new artistic innovation or art form. He sees only the past, and wants to capture Japan like a photograph, and preserve it forever.
Rating:
Summary: Not a traditional guide book or essential, but fascinating.
Review: When I picked up this book at my library, I thought I might pick and choose my way through some chapters. Looking at the Kabuki guys on the cover, I thought, who wants to read about a bunch of caterwauling old men in drag? But I was interested in traditional Japanese architecture and homes so I gave it a try and enjoyed it immensely and learned a tremendous amount about Japanese culture. The author has a way of making even the most esoteric subjects interesting. Would I ever have believed I would come away with an understanding and budding appreciation for kabuki, esoteric Buddhism, calligraphy restoration or the "primitive" aspects of Shintoism? No, but now I do. For those of you interested in houses, there is a lot of description of traditional homes in this book. The author bought and restored several and describes the process. Can one person have such a charmed life? Kerr does leave you wondering if everyone he praises in this book is truly as talented as he says, or if the antiques he found were really as rare as he claims, but it's all very interesting, even if it's fiction. Starting in the 1970s as a college student he buys a little house in the countryside, then becomes an art dealer, then has some amazing real estate adventures and makes some side tours into nearly all the fine arts (Kabuki, tea ceremony, Noh theatre, ikebana, restoring a traditional thatched roof, calligraphy, etc.) and a lot of it seems like dumb luck. But like I said, it's fascinating dumb luck. It's part history, part guide book, and a large part autobiography. If you are looking for something to read before a trip to Japan besides the usual sightseeing, hotel and restaurant guides, then give this a try. It will make all those historic monuments and temples you visit a whole lot more meaningful.
Rating: 
Summary: A must-read for those interested in contemporary Japan
Review: While I have nothing comparable to the history of exposure to Japan that Mr. Kerr does, his book really struck a chord with me in terms of my experience of the country. Japan is a fascinating place for us westerners - so different. Yet you can't help but get the sense that it has changed for the worse in many ways - the cities are not beautiful by any means, in fact they are generally quite ugly, etc. But there is an underlying current of beauty there that comes through somehow - in the people I think. Anyway, this book reflected my own feelings about Japan, and I'm sure that's the major reason I enjoyed it so much.
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