This timely publication meets a growing interest in the West in Japanese thinking, and provides the first exposition of the Japanese city.

It demonstrates the relevance of Japan to future city planning, covering the form, character and organization of the buildings and spaces in Japanese cities and particularly the relationships between the buildings, squares and streets.

The author provides a historical overview of Western attitudes to Japanese built-form and explores the very different ways of thinking about space and time that underpin the contrasts between Japan and the West in city form and oragnizations.