I was fortunate enough to become friends with a Japanese person in my community this past year, and I had the joy of experiencing the everyday quality of Japanese aesthetics. It was inspiring. It goes well beyond choice of décor or clothing. It's a profound commitment to aesthetics, one I struggle to express using English vocabulary. It's like, if something isn't thought out - why even bother?
One of my favorite short books is about Japanese esthetics -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Praise_of_Shadows. it covers an eclectic set of topics (why black is the best color for toilets?) but it's a delightful read.
