Wabi Sabi

The Book in 1 Sentence

Wabi Sabi is you being in your most natural, authentic place.

Brief Review

If you want to learn some really interesting tidbits about Japanese culture whilst learning about how to slow down, find your place in your own life, and learning other pieces of wisdom, this is your book. The stories Beth was able to experience while living in Kyoto are outstanding and have lead to some great life lessons and down to earth definition of wabi sabi.

Why I Read this book

I really like Japanese culture and think there are a lot of things we could learn from them as a society. This book was one on a list that was recommended to me.

In-Depth Review (Favorite Quotes)

My favorite quote is the one at the top in 1 sentence. It is such a great explanation of what Wabi Sabi means out of all the definitions she provides.

To explain that, you need to understand a couple things. First, in this book she ask people from all different aspects in life what the term Wabi Sabi means and you should know that the phrase is not typically spoken aloud. It is more of a feeling. You should also know that Wabi in Japanese means "a quality of austere and serene beauty expressing a mood of spiritual solitude" where Sabi means "the love of the old, the faded, and the unobtrusive, a quality found in the verse" or "tranquil."

If you look at these definitions it is going to bring lots of different things to your mind. For me, it was a snow capped mountain when I was first snowboarding. But then after hearing the the definition, I am not sure where I am my most natural and authentic. However, I hope that at some point in my life, being called authentic is common place.

This book, while relatively short (Now that I think about the last few books, they have all been in the same vain and short.) compared to most common books, however I think that really is its strength. I know that this book won't be for everyone as it is a little more spiritual/nature then what I think a lot of people want, but that should not stop you from reading/listening to this book.

How my life / behavior / thoughts / ideas have changed as a result of reading the book.

It seems that the theme at the start of 2024 is the same. To take life as it is and appreciate what I can see as we can see from Ego is the Enemy and Man's Search for Meaning and now this. I think the real message between all of them is that you always have a choice no matter what happens in life.

Rating

This book really spoke to me and as my wife and I talk about going to Japan in the next few years, I just can't shake some of the message, especially the one at the top. It has just rattled around my head the end entire day since I finished it. It does at times feel a little off as compared to the rest of the book when referencing the stories that are provided, but it is a solid book. It is an 8.