Testimony less to the state of Japanese photography (in which a lot of good things are happening, if you can ignore the half dozen or so photographers who are hyped all the time) than to the seriously screwed up tastes of NYC, this book, whose title is nowhere explained and seems merely whimsical, gathers perhaps three good photographers, perhaps three OK photographers, and a number of photographers who are deeply into the completely vapid -- and takes them all seriously. Readers would be forgiven for thinking that the world of Japanese photography is as dreary as the world of Japanese art.

Yamagishi Shōji is sorely missed. ( )