While it was beautifully presented and written, this book was ultimately not for me.

I was expecting something lighter on philosophy and heavier on the description of art, artisans, and craft. However, this book reminds me much more of In Praise of Shadows (Tanizaki) or the work of Alex Kerr. (In fact, there is a portion of the book in which the author visits Tanizaki's tomb.) It is pensive, beautiful, and thoughtful -- the fault lies with my taste and mismatched expectations rather than the content of the book.

While Illusory Dwellings is not something I'd usually pick up, and I'm sure some of it went over my head a little, this was a joy to read.

Weiss' writing is engaging and grounded in expertise, experience and research - Weiss provides an opening into Japanese customs and spirituality from tea ceremonies to gardens. It is truly a wonderful way to experience Kyoto, from a perspective that is wholly different to travel guides or memoirs. Each chapter has a clear focus in regards to what it wishes to meditate upon and Weiss delivers these ideas through anecdotal writing as well as through a brilliant command of art history, architectural knowledge, and a humbling understanding of Zen Buddhism.

Illusory Dwellings by Allen S Weiss presents a way into appreciating not only Kyoto and Japan but any place you might visit or live for a time. Less travelogue and more a perspective on life and how it is lived through aesthetic practice, whether that practice is architecture, gardening, craft, or traditional practices.

I have only been to Japan twice and never to Kyoto, so I didn't come to this expecting a new way to appreciate a place I already knew but rather I came with the hope of understanding how better to look beyond the surface of any place I might travel or have traveled. And I definitely was rewarded for my interest.

I certainly gained a better appreciation of Japanese culture, of why some things are done as they are. Yet the meditations, as Weiss calls them, also offers the reader ways to approach locales both known and unknown to them. I went back and reread some of the passages about the tea ceremony and the space within which it is conducted several times. The first few was mostly gaining insight and finding the idea of the ceremony very appealing. But I kept going back because I began to relate the how of his meditation, the knowledgeable yet curious approach to understanding, to other cultures I have had some intimate experience with. I came away with, for lack of a better term, an openminded and respectful way to gain whatever access I can to the meaning of some practices I don't understand.

I think this will be a wonderful book for anyone who has spent time in Japan and especially Kyoto, but it is equally rewarding for those of us with little to no time spent in Japan but are interested in understanding how to find meaning in the most subtle aspects of a culture's aesthetics.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Illusory Dwellings is not your regular travel guide.
It is a lovely combination of meditative essays and a travel book.
Instead of describing the well-documented cityscape with words, Weiss invites us on a philosophical and mindful journey which is unique, original and curious.
Some of the photographs were meaningful and fresh, for the others, I am still making up my mind.
I must say I did not fully grasp everything the author writes about, and my review will reflect that.
I appreciated the concept and the idea so much.
The prose 3.5
Overall, I was not fully engaged at all times and went back and read some paragraphs more than once.