Admired around the world for its ingenious use of space, proportion, and material, contemporary Japanese design and architecture is a brilliant combination of the traditional and modern styles. With gorgeous four-color photos and rich, descriptive text, Japan Modern takes readers into dozens of innovative Japanese homes to discover:

* New ways of managing space

* How to experiment with materials and how to re-interpret tradition AUTHOR BIOS: Michiko Rico Nosé has written extensively on design and lifestyle-related topics for Japanese magazines and for television.

Michael Freeman has photographed extensively in Asia, both for magazines such as the Smithsonian, GEO, and Conde Naste Traveler, and for numerous books, including In the Oriental Style: A Sourcebook of Decoration and Design and Strange Foods.