This book of non-fiction was written by Okakura Kazukô in 1906 as an introduction to Asian culture, and specifically to the art of tea, for Western readers. In that respect, it's a very pedagogical and accessible little book which presents the fundamentals of Asian philosophy through the exploration of the cha-no-yu, the tea ceremony. The author doesn't claim to be a tea master, but perhaps that is why he is well-suited to speaking to his Western audience. I really enjoyed learning more about a whole culture through the story of a drink I enjoy on a daily basis. It's a book I had tried to read years ago but had abandoned because of its philosophical content I wasn't quite ready for at the time, but now I find it quite soothing.