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Suggested Reading
I'm often asked to recommend reading material for use before and during the
trip. I have shelves of books on Japan, but I'll limit my
suggestions here to six.
| The first two are baseball books by noted author Robert Whiting. Bob wrote the
classic on Japanese baseball and, although now a bit dated, Ya
Gotta Have Wa is at the top of the reading list. |
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| Whiting's most recent work Ichiro
reflects on how Japanese players are impacting the American game. It
offers insights into the Japanese game and the relationships among Major
League Baseball, Japanese Professional Baseball and their respective players. |
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| Of all the guide books out there, I recommend Japan
Made Easy. Its subtitle, "All You Need to Know to Enjoy
Japan" is correct. It touches on a whole host of things including etiquette,
food, customs and other items that will introduce you to Japan. It does not list hotels,
restaurants, maps and the like. You
don't need that for this trip, but it does give you a sneak preview of Japan that
you'll enjoy. |
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Memoirs
of a Geisha is the best-selling novel that tells
the true confessions of one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.
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In this best-selling account, Flyboys
takes you through the run-up to and the fighting during the War in the Pacific
following a story line that deals with US pilots.
Not for the fainthearted.
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| In a non-baseball book from Bob Whiting, Tokyo
Underworld probes Japan's gangsters, corrupt
entrepreneurs and political fixers. It reads like a thriller yet manages
to intelligently show us the seamy underside of Japan's postwar economic
boom.
And while in Tokyo, you can visit the outdoor market under the
tracks outside JR Ueno Station where it all began...and remains much the same.
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"We
had thought of it as a once in a lifetime trip, but now we want to go back and
do it again. Maybe one of these years. Thanks for a fabulous
tour!" |
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