Michiko Young conducts culture tours to Japan for those who wish to get off the beaten track. She and her husband David Young live in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. They are the authors of The Art of the Japanese Garden.

Introduction to Japanese Architecture provides an overview of Japanese architecture in its historical and cultural context.

It begins with a discussion of prehistoric dwellings and concludes with a description of contemporary trends in areas as diverse as country inns, underground malls, and love hotels. The intervening 12,000 years are analyzed in reference to major changes in architecture caused by Buddhist and indigenous influences, feudalism, and finally the influence of Western culture in the 19th century.

The architecture book provides insights into the dynamic nature of this contrast and how it reflects the underlying diversity of Japanese culture. The comprehensive, accessible text is complemented by over 340 color photographs, diagrams, and specially commissioned watercolors.