In Allen Weiss’s forthcoming book on Kyoto’s artistic landscape, Illusory Dwellings, he writes about the unease with which modern Western art categories contain Japanese aesthetics. There is, on the one hand, a question of what constitutes the avant-garde and the traditional in a particular national canon.

When it comes to exploring the rich tapestry of Japanese culture, Kyoto stands as a beacon of tradition, art, and philosophy. In his latest book, Illusory Dwellings: Aesthetic Meditations in Kyoto, Allen S. Weiss takes readers on a captivating journey through the essence of Kyoto's artistic landscape.