Situated in the Kansai region of Honshu, Kyoto carries a quality of calm that runs through everything — its gardens and temples, its wooden architecture, its approach to cuisine, and its restrained design aesthetic that lets materials speak for themselves. Even its most exuberant moment, the Gion Matsuri festival with its elaborate yamaboko floats, is a form of precision.

This volume moves through the city's layered identity, from time-honored traditions of geisha culture and tea ceremonies to the architectural and interior sensibilities that have made Kyoto a reference point for considered living worldwide.