The Book of Tea

By: Okakura Kakuzo

Narrated by: Alan Munro

Length: 4 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

This special edition of The Book of Tea contains one hour of traditional Japanese flute (shakuhachi) and 43 minutes of music by traditional Japanese ensemble. The music appears track by track at the end of the two-hour audiobook and is included as wonderful compliment to this gracious and elegant listening experience. The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo is a long essay linking the role of tea (teaism) to the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life. Addressed to a western audience, it was originally written in English and is one of the great English tea classics. Okakura had been taught at a young age to speak English and was proficient at communicating his thoughts to the Western mind. In his book, he discusses such topics as Zen and Taoism, but also the secular aspects of tea and Japanese life. The book emphasizes how Teaism taught the Japanese many things; most importantly, simplicity. Kakuzo argues that this tea-induced simplicity affected art and architecture, and he was a long-time student of the visual arts. He ends the book with a chapter on Tea Masters, and spends some time talking about Sen no Rikyu and his contribution to the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Public Domain (P)2014 Trout Lake Media

Two hours of nothing but music at the end

This is a great book and the narrator does an excellent job, but the last one and a half to two hours of this book is nothing but music. It is nice music, though, and especially nice to listen to while drinking tea.

Disappointed

I like this book very much, I’ve liked it for a long time.

But not this rendition of it. Reader inserts two. Or three. Pauses ran. Domly in each sentence

Just about time you are enjoying the inspiration of the text the entire recording is given over to a shakuhachi (bamboo flute) might have been recorded on a Walkman. FOR NINE CHAPTERS.

Awkward and narrative style

I wish I didn’t think this narration was so awkward because I really liked the music at the end, and I wanted to be able to keep this book so I could have it, but I can’t

INFORMATIVE

This is a good book.
I am familiar with Japanese culture and Zen Buddhism, so for me it was a joy to listen.
The tea ceremony is so refined and full of meaning.
The music at the end of the book is good, and is part of the culture.
For Western ears, it might not be good, as I have read in other reviews but in my opinion it is music to meditate by.
The narrator, mr. Alan Munro, was a pleasure to listen to,
My thanks to all involved, JK.

Ridiculously inappropriate music and narration

The readers voice only reinforces the notion that this was a clumsy translation in that the narrator has that old white man voice laid over the most Orientalist music since the Mikado. The irony being the content of the book is total derision of this sort of western-culture centric worldview. This irony being a minor saving grace.