The Nature of Japan traces Yamashita’s journey from his first visit to Japan—sparked by a desire to understand his heritage—through years of immersion in the country’s landscapes, traditions, and spiritual philosophies. Through evocative images and reflections, Yamashita reveals the intricate relationship between Japan’s people and its natural world, drawing on Shinto and Buddhist influences that celebrate the interconnectedness and impermanence of all things. His work goes beyond tourist clichés, offering a sensory translation of Japan’s scenery, gardens, and daily life, informed by concepts like mono no aware, wabi-sabi, and the artistry of pattern and light.

The book invites readers to see Japan through Yamashita’s lens—where the sacred is found in everyday details, and beauty emerges from both the fleeting and the timeless.

History will be remembered. The innovative “Belt and Road” initiative and Michael Yamashita’s legendary photographs both send out a beautiful message to the past and the future from different angels. We do know that Magellan’s travel, Marco Polo’s exploration, Zheng He’s voyages, even colonization and slave trade, the facts in history that have slowly been forgotten by people, are all covered in dust, describing human’s constant efforts to build civilizations and recording wars, slaughters and bloodshed. But the human race is progressing and the Chinese people, much like the rest of the world, are eager to develop and utilize our land, sea and space in a rational way to protect our common home and to live in harmony with nature so that we can enjoy the gifts of nature.

The “Silk Road”, the ancient trade route which linked Europe with Central Asia and China over a distance of around 7,000 kilometers, had served as the platform for the exchange between ancient eastern and western civilizations for over two thousand years. The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road, a great development strategy and framework proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, will create positive energy for global growth and with this initiative launched, the ancient Silk Road is being awakened.

We need to fully understand the ancient Silk Road before reviving its spirit. Time passes by, never paying any attention to its past prosperity and glory which gradually lost in violence and material desires, leaving us choice but to trace its former glories in historical documents and records and find out what it is like today by retracing the Silk Road.

This is why Michael Yamashita has taken these valuable photographs and why Reignwood Culture Foundation has selected some of his best works and made them into books. Join us on the “Silk Road Journey” to follow Michael Yamashita retracing the footprints of the ancestors along the ancient Silk Road. By reviewing the remarkable landscapes and experiencing local customs, you will feel the power of life through generations of civilizations along the ancient Silk Road.

Before the legendary explorations of Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, and Ferdinand Magellan, Admiral Zheng He sailed from Ming-dynasty China, and in 28 years, made seven voyages visiting 30 countries. With his fleet of hundreds of junks, he traveled from Southeast Asia to Africa, from India to the Middle East, gathering riches, scientific knowledge, fame, and power for his emperor. He came close to conquering the world, until the Ming Dynasty's power shriveled and the explorer's accomplishments were all but forgotten. In this compelling tribute to Zheng He, Michael Yamashita traces each of his journeys and pays homage to the impressive achievements of this explorer whose feats equal or surpass those of other better-known explorers.