We’ve already established that there’s a great deal the Japanese can teach us about everything from the art of storm drain covers to the philosophy of finding beauty in imperfection. But nowhere is this Eastern wisdom more condensed than in the concept of urawaza — roughly speaking, the Japanese term for “lifehacking.” Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan is a fantastic compendium more than 100 such once-secret tips and tricks for the modern urbanite, packing a formidable toolkit of daily hacks that will make you, as the cover promises, “do everything better” — or at least have more fun doing it.

Tokyo-born, Silicon-Valley-based journalist Lisa Katayama and illustrator Joel Holland deliver a punchy, irreverent, yet surprisingly practical guide to everything from keeping bathroom mirrors fog-free with a cut potato to picking up broken glass with a piece of bread to using a diaper to automate your plant watering while on vacation.

Clever and handy, Urawaza is certain to arm you with a powerful arsenal for city living, as well as a few potent mother-in-law-charmers and dinner party guest-impressers — and, really, who couldn’t use some of those?

Thanks, @kgillem