Featuring over 140 stunning photographs, this Japan travel pictorial captures all the beauty and high culture of Japan. Japan has fascinated foreign visitors and observers for centuries. Although Columbus did not find fables Zipang and its troves of gold he sought, countless sojourners in Japan — ranging from 16th century missionaries to 20th century backpackers with a yen for Zen — have had eye opening encounters with this land of contrasts. Physically one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and a civilization in its own right, Japan remains something of an enigma to outsiders. Futuristic visions seem to bloom effortlessly from time-honored traditions. This compelling photographic study by one of the world's leading photographers will take you from country roads to the skyscrapers of its amoebae-like megacities, from meditation-inducing rock gardens to the other-worldly frenzy of communal festivals. Through initiation into their psychology, mores, and religious and artistic sentiments, you'll learn something of what it means to be Japanese.