Review — Illusory Dwellings: Aesthetic Meditations in Kyoto

Mystified by the depths of Japanese aesthetic tradition? Then Allen S. Weiss’ new book may be for you.

By Noah Oskow

These days, I’m often afforded the opportunity to visit the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto. For this, I feel especially blessed; despite the current discourse related to the city’s palpable over-tourism, Kyoto remains one of the world’s most fascinating locales. Home to well over a thousand years of history, and much of that as the central node for Japan’s artistic, cultural, political, and spiritual production, diving deeper into Kyoto is endlessly rewarding. It’s a place that can be enjoyed on a surface level, gawking at storied Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces, and tea houses. It’s all the more enjoyable to experience the layers of meaning beneath Kyoto’s sometimes obfuscated traditions. For that, books like Allen S. Weiss’ Illusory Dwellings: Aesthetic Meditations in Kyoto are a priceless resource.

A professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Allen S. Weiss is an impressively prolific author. His authorial blurb in the back of Illusory Dwellings notes his focus on “the fields of performance theory, landscape architecture, gastronomy, sound art, experimental theater, and ceramics.” Japan has been a focal point for Weiss, who has published books…