Moving across Japanese history in time and space from its ancient Shinto beginnings to its largest recorded earthquake, and from the spiritual calm of Ise and Ryoanji to the psychedelic consumerism of Shinjuku and Ginza Zen Spaces in Neon Places is the first book to catch all of the dimensions and sensations of the Japanese built environment: its architecture and urbanism; its historic buildings and cities; its digital streetscapes and mega-structures; its hyper-speed trains and theme parks; and its concurrent cultures of kinky love hotels and contemplative tea ceremonies. Zen Spaces also looks back at the vital defining moments in the cultures recent history the reforestation policy of the Tokugawa, the entry of European influences, the insinuation of Western democracy, the expansion and collapse of the economic bubble and the transformative effects they have had on the Japanese built world. Combining two decades of author Vinayak Bharnes scholarship, fieldwork, and personal experience, this landmark volume evokes the bewildering and contradictory built world of Japan, and weaves together its delicate and raw intellectual textures into a unique reading experience. AUTHOR: Vinayak Bharne is Director of Design at Moule and Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists in Pasadena, California, and a joint faculty member of urbanism at the Sol Price School of Public Policy and the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California. His professional work ranges from new towns, inner city revitalization, campuses, resort villages and housing for corporate, private and institutional clients, to urban regulations, policies and strategic advising for government and non government agencies in the United States, Canada, India, United Arab Emirates, Panama, Kenya and Mauritius. Vinayak s projects have received numerous local and national awards, which include the United States Environmental Protection Agency s 2013 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement, and the 2011 American Planning Association (California Chapter) Planning Excellence in Implementation Award both for the Main Street Transformation in Lancaster, California and two Charter Awards from the Congress for the New Urbanism for the Del Mar Station Apartments in Pasadena, and the Don Ana Plaza Reconstruction in New Mexico. Vinayak s academic research focuses on contemporary urban issues in Asia. Specific topics include the nexus of public policy and the global water crisis, the urbanism of informal, appropriated and impoverished landscapes, and the evolving urbanities of sacred territories and cities. A frequently invited speaker at national and international planning conferences, he currently serves as a contributing editor of Kyoto Journal in Japan, contributing blogger of the planning webzine Planetizen in Los Angeles, expert commentator in the think tank The Urban Vision in India, Resource Council member at the Form Based Codes Institute in Chicago, and Advisory Board member of the international nonprofit Global Urban Development. 256 photographs
