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Passing from China, where it was developed over 3,000 years ago, to Japan, where it today commands a vast and enthusiastic following, Go is probably the oldest intellectual game in the world. Similar to chess, it leaves nothing to chance, requiring great strategy and carefully plotted campaigns to achieve an impregnable position, block enemies from lines of communication and win a series of battles. To penetrate this complicated, challenging game requires a great guide and this is it. Unsurpassable in its clarity and comprehensiveness, The Game of Go has been the classic guide to the game since it was first published in 1956.

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A Guide to Living, Working, and Traveling in Japan

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Living in Japan is a complete travel guide for foreigners currently living in Japan or contemplating making a home there.From the great expectations before arrival to the shock of actually being immersed in one of the most unique cultures in the hectic modern world, from finding housing to finding work, and from adjusting to the expatriate community to the many challenges of making a way into the heart of Japanese society and culture, Living in Japan will help the reader cope with the vagaries, anxieties, and uncertainties of an expatriate existence.
Authors Norton and Shibusawa explore the opportunities for foreigners in Japan, analyze the problems they're likely to encounter, offer practical solutions and advice to make the most out of an extended stay in Japan. This Japan guide enthusiastically negotiates the potential roadblocks and pitfalls facing expatriate businessmen, children, traditional homemakers, students, and working couples and highlights the many opportunities for a rich and lasting experience.
And finally, Living in Japan offers helpful hints to ease the transition if expatriates returning from Japan to their native lands, where they face a culture shock as strong as that they experiences upon first making their way to Japan.

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Learn the ancient art of Japanese archery or Kyudo with this illustrated guide.The Japanese Art of Archery, is deeply rooted in tradition. It not only continues to enjoy widespread popularity in Japan, but is also attracting the interest of more and more foreigners, in much the same manner as Japan's other distinctive sports, such as judo, sumo, kendo, and karate. Kyudo: The Japanese Art of Archery offers a concise description of kyudo by an ardent American enthusiast, describing the aims, the techniques, and the philosophic basis of its ceremonial aspect, which is strongly influenced by Zen philosophy.<br>Carefully illustrated, this is a practical text, giving all of the necessary fundamentals. The author clearly describes the basic difference between American and Japanese archery. He points out the superior neatness and schematic beauty of the Oriental full draw, in which the chest is fully extended and the shoulders are thrust as far apart as possible, inasmuch as the string is drawn to a point well back, as was done in the old English archery of Roger Aschams time.

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Modern Translations of Three Classic Works of Zen & Bushido

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Soul of the Samurai contains modern translations of three classic works of Zen & Bushido.

In Soul of the Samurai, bestselling author and respected translator Thomas Cleary reveals the true essence of the Bushido code or Zen warrior teachings according to 17th-century Japanese samurai master Yagyu Munenori and his Zen teacher Takuan Soho.

The three works of Zen & Bushido translated in Soul of the Samurai are: The Book of the Sword by Yagyu Munenori The Inscrutable Subtlety of Immovable Wisdom by Takuan Soho The Peerless Sword by Takuan Soho Yagyu was a renowned swordsman and chief of the Shogun's secret police, while Takuan was the Zen spiritual mentor to the Emperor. This samurai philosophy book contains the first English translations of their seminal writings on Bushido. Cleary not only provides clear and readable translations but comprehensive notes introducing the social, political, and organizational principles that defined samurai culturetheir loyalty to family, their sense of service and duty, and their political strategies for dealing with allies and enemies.

These writings introduce the reader to the authentic world of Zen culture and the secrets behind the samurai's successbeing "in the moment" and freeing the mind from all distractions, allowing you to react instantaneously and instinctively without thinking. In these classic works, we learn that Zen mental control and meditational training were as important to the Samurai as swordsmanship and fighting skills.

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This book is a fascinating history of tea and the spreading of tea throughout the world.

Camellia sinensis, commonly known as tea, is grown in tea gardens and estates around the world. A simple beverage served either hot or iced, tea has fascinated and driven us, calmed and awoken us, for well over two thousand years.

The most extensive and well-presented tea history available, Tea: The Drink that Changed the World tells of the rich legends and history surrounding the spread of tea throughout Asia and the West, as well as its rise to the status of necessity in kitchens around the world. From the tea houses of China's Tang Dynasty (618-907,) to fourteenth-century tea ceremonies in Korea's Buddhist temples' to the tea plantations in Sri Lanka today, this book explores and illuminates tea and its intricate, compelling history.

Topics in Tea: The Drink that Changed the World include: From Shrub to Cup: and Overview. History and Legend of tea. Tea in Ancient China and Korea. Tea in Ancient Japan. The Japanese Tea Ceremony. Tea in the Ming Dynasty. Tea Spreads Throughout the World. The British in India, China and Ceylon. Tea in England and the United States. Tea Today and Tomorrow.
Whether you prefer green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, chai, Japanese tea, Chinese tea, Sri Lankan tea, American tea or British tea, you will certainly enjoy reading this history of tea and expanding your knowledge of the world's most celebrated beverage.

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Strange but True Stories from Japan is a fascinating collection of vignettes, ranging from historical to the personal.Here you will be exposed to the goings-on of Americans serving time in Japanese prisons and the many who claimed the identity of Tokyo Rose.  And learn about the bizarre habits of the eels that roam the Chikugo River.In this eclectic and, well, strange, book you'll relive-from a distance-Kamakura's hara-kiri bloodshed and discover the surprising fate of the armless geisha, Tsuma-kichi. Seward also weaves touching memoir pieces between chapters that recount hilarious instances of fractured English and shocking-to-the-average-American Japanese cuisine. Written with an eye and ear for the theatrical and for the rhythm of Japanese life, this delightful but serious romp through modern Japan brings Seward's wide and varied cultural and military background to center stage.

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"Clear-eyed glimpses of human behavior in the extremities of poverty, stupidity, greed, vanity... Story-telling of an unconventional sort, with most of the substance beneath the shining, enameled surface." The New York Times Book Review

Widely acknowledged as "the father of the Japanese short story," Ryunosuke Akutagawa remains one of the most influential Japanese writers of all time. Rashomon and Other Stories, a collection of his most celebrated work, resonates as strongly today as when it first published a century ago.

This volume includes: In a Grove: An iconic, contradictory tale of the murder of a samurai in a forest near Kyoto told through three varying accounts Rashomon: A masterless samurai contemplates following a life of crime as he encounters an old woman at the old Rashomon gate outside Kyoto Yam Gruel: A low-ranking court official laments his position all the while yearning for his favorite, yet humble, dish The Martyr: Set in Japan's Christian missionary era, a young boy is excommunicated for fathering an illegitimate child, but not all is as it seems Kesa and Morito: An adulterous couple plots to kill the woman's husband as the situation threatens to spin out of control The Dragon: A priest concocts a prank involving a dragon, but the tall tale begins to take on a life of its own With a new foreward by noted Akutagawa scholar Seiji Lippit, this updated version of a classic collection is a an excellent, readable introduction to Japanese literature.

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Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Howard Hibbett, Kojima Takashi

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This is one the first and most important books about 18th century Malaysia and covers a wide array of topics from Malaysian culture and history to nature and wildlife. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Malaysia.

A century and a half after it was first published, this book remains one of the great classics of natural history and travelperhaps the greatest. Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) deserves equal billing with Charles Darwin for his independently drawn but parallel conclusions on the theory of evolution. Darwin himself called Wallace "generous and noble" and referred favorably to his work in later editions of The Origin of Species.

The Malay Archipelago is an extraordinarily accessible book. There is a wealth of detail about pre-modern life in the Indonesian archipelago which Wallace accumulated on over 60 separate journeys spanning 14,000 miles. He was equally fascinated by the exotic peoples, flora and fauna he encountered in his epic travels. A mark of his achievement lies in the size of the collections he bequeathed to British museumssome 125,000 specimens ranging from large mammals to tiny insects, exotic butterflies and splendid birds of paradise.

His basic thesis stands to this day: that two separate biological zones border these islands, separated by the deep-water channel now known as the Wallace Line, running between Bali and Lombok, which only a relative handful of species have crossed. The islands east of Bali in effect form a transitional zone where some of the world's strangest creatures are found.

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Fascinating Stories and Essays by Japan's Most Famous Foreign Observer

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This collection of writings from Lafcaido Hern paints a rare and fascinating picture of pre-modern Japan

Over a century after his death, author, translator, and educator Lafcaido Hearn remains one of the best-known Westerners ever to make Japan his home. Almost more Japanese than the Japanese"to think with their thoughts" was his aimhis prolific writings on things Japanese were instrumental in introducing Japanese culture to the West.

In this masterful anthology, Donald Richie shows that Hearn was first and foremost a reliable and enthusiastic observer, who faithfully recorded a detailed account of the people, customs, and culture of late nineteen-century Japan. Opening and closing with excerpts from Hearn's final books, Richie's astute selection from among "over 4,000 printed pages" not including correspondence and other writing, also reveals Hearn's later, more sober and reflective attitudes to the things that he observed and wrote about.

Part One, "The Land," chronicles Hearn's early years when he wrote primarily about the appearance of his adopted home. Part Two, "The People," records the author's later years when he came to terms with the Japanese themselves. In this anthology, Richie, more gifted in capturing the essence of a person on the page than any other foreign writer living in Japan, has picked out the best of Hearn's evocations.

Select writings include:The Chief City of the Province of the GodsThree Popular BalladsIn the Cave of the Children's GhostsBits of Life and DeathA Street SingerKimikoOn A Bridge

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This modern classic, written in 1913, was the source for the highly acclaimed film, The Mistress

In The Wild Geese, prominent Japanese novelist Ogai Mori offers a poignant story of unfulfilled love, set against the background of the dizzying social change accompanying the fall of the Meiji regime. The young heroine, Otama, is forced by poverty to become a moneylender's mistress. She is surrounded by skillfully-drawn charactersher weak-willed father, her virile and calculating lover (and his suspicious wife), and the handsome student who is both the object of her desire and the symbol of her rescueas well as a colorful procession of Meiji era figuresgeisha, students, entertainers, unscrupulous matchmakers, shopkeepers, and greedy landladies.

Like those around her, and like the wild geese of the titles, Otama yearns for the freedom of flight. Her dawning consciousness of her predicament brings the novel to a touching climax.

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Ogai Mori, Ochiai Kingo, Goldstein Sanford

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The Cultural Values and Attitudes that Make Up the Korean Business Personality

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South Korean companies and technology have suddenly conquered the world. Samsung, Hyundai and LG are industry leaders and the global brands. Korean culture in the form of K-Pop music videos and "Korean Wave" films and TV dramas are watched everywhere from Tel Aviv to Singapore to Rio. Korean gourmet food trucks ply the streets of New York and LA, and kimchi has found a place on the shelves of well-stocked supermarkets around the world.With just a fraction of Japan's land area, less than half its population, and no natural resourceshow have Korean companies managed to conquer the world in such a short period of time? What is the "secret sauce" of Korean business practices and companies that makes them so successful?To find out, readers need more than statistics and company profiles. Learning the basics about Korean culture, about Korean social etiquette and Korean business culture, will enable you to understand for the first time how Koreans think and why they work so effectively to achieve their goals. This understanding will enhance your own effectiveness in doing business with Koreans, or in competing with themwhether in Korea or elsewhere.

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This fascinating Japanese culture and business guide explains how bushido samurai culture has influenced modern Japanese behavior and business practices.<br>Bushido, the ethical system of Japan's famous samurai class, which ruled the country from 1192 until 1868, eventually came to encompass every aspect of the lives of the peopletheir philosophical and spiritual beliefs, their etiquette, their family life, their dress, their work, their aesthetic sense, even their recreation.In The Japanese Samurai Code, Japanologist Boye Lafayette De Mente attempts to identify the positive factors in Bushido that were primarily responsible for the astounding economic success of the Japanese, and still today play a vital role in their economic prowess. Perfect for those interested in doing business in, or with, Japan, or just trying to improve their own personal skills and performance, this book is a success manual for people in any endeavor.Chapters include:The Power of the Samurai CultureKyoui no Bushi BunkaThe Spirit that Motivates the JapaneseNihonjin no SeishinTaking the Best & Leaving the RestShusha Sentaku no "Myou"The Power of DignityHinkaku no ChikaraThe Samurai Work EthicBushi no Roudoh RinriKnowing Without Being ToldAnmoku no RyokaiAdjusting to ChangeHenka ni TaiouThe Discriminating MindUrusai no Hitotachiand more!

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The ancient Chinese art of Feng-Shui, the basis of man's relationship with the land, has practitioners and followers throughout the Western world, from rural communities to big cities.  Not just an Eastern practice any more, Feng-Shui can be found around the globe.Feng-Shui is an art that stresses the importance of living in harmony with nature.  The Chinese believe that the earth has channels of energy known as 'dragon-lines', comparable with the meridians of the human body, and the buildings, towns and rooms should be designed and constructed so as not to obstruct these channels.  According to the principles of Feng-Shui, living in harmony with the earth's field of energy will promote prosperity, peace and happiness.Living Earth Feng Shui is a fascinating book which outlines how Feng-Shui can be applied on a small or large scale, in the busiest cities or the smallest room.  Author Stephen Skinner outlines its history and philosophy, clearly showing how it can be used to determine the site and arrangement of dwelling places in order to enhance the quality of life of the inhabitants.  This is the perfect book for those new to Feng-Shui or someone who is interested in expanding their knowledge.

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42 Martial Secrets from Musashi's Book of Five Rings

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The Book of Five Rings by Musashi Myamoto provides valuable lessons for anyone facing challenging circumstancesfrom business, war, and sports to fields of art, love, and politics.

Samurai Strategies has extracted the fundamentals of Musashi's martial tactics and explains them here in a context for use in the modern world. These strategies for winning are as valid today as they were in 17th century Japan and provide valuable insights for anyone in any field to endeavor.

About his new edition:
This expanded edition of Samurai Strategies features a new introduction by the author, and additional commentary in each chapter by renowned Japanese author and samurai expert Michihiro Matsumoto.

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Boye Lafayette De Mente, Michihiro Matsumoto

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Lessons in Daily Life from the Martial Ways of Japan

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Moving Toward Stillness: Lessons in Daily Life from the Martial Ways of Japan is a distillation of the most important lessons learned from a lifetime devoted to martial arts training.

Drawing from his highly regarded magazine columns in Black Belt magazine, author Dave Lowry sets out lessons that not only guide us to a deeper understanding of the social values and moral imperatives that are the ancient heart of budo, but speak to us also of the universal nature of those values and of how they remain relevant to us, in the modern West.

Among the 45 chapters of this martial arts philosophy book you'll find lessons addressing everything from such well-known martial concepts as "one encounter, one chance" to the art of being alone, from strategy for the modern-day battlefield to the luxury of anger, from subduing the self and bending like the bamboo to maintaining an unwavering calm in the face of death.

Essays include:The Way of the MasterExcess BaggageSwimming 'Round the StoneSimple ThingsEven if I DieNot Knowing, But Doingand many more

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Sex and the Japanese provides a broad look at the changing concepts of sexuality in Japanese culture.From the days of concubines and geishas to the present, sex and sexuality in Japan have been more openly discussed and available than in the Westdue for the most part to Shinto, the native religion of Japan that recognizes, celebrates and respects the sensual side of life.The sexual attitudes and customs of present-day Japan continue to reflect this ancient wisdom in ways that are both practical and imaginative. Sex and the Japanese reveals the ins and outs of these attitudes and customs, from the institutions of "love hotels" and erotic massage parlors, weekend trysts at hot spring spas, the use of cell phones and the Internet, to well-publicized date clubs and escort services.Chapters in Sex and the Japanese include:Sex Without SinHeritage of the Fertility CultThe "Romance Gray" PhenomenonPorn for the Male MassesSex Lessons for the LadiesThe Charms of Japanese Women

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The Battle for Human Dignity in Bangkok's Bleakest Slums

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100% of all proceeds of the sale of this book will be donated to the Human Development Fund in Bangkok, ThailandThe Reverend Joseph H. Maier, C.Ss.R., is a Redemptorist priest from the United States. He came to Thailand in 1967 as a missionary, serving in north Isan and then among the Hmong in Laos. In 1972, he established the Human Development Foundation in Bangkok's Klong Toey slum, where he has lived and worked for more than 30 years. Threatened and shot at, the unwavering priest has over the years become a no-nonsense, street-smart friend to the poor, from whom he draws constant inspiration.Father Joe, as he's called, has established more than thirty schools, five shelters for street kids, and several projects for women and children with AIDS, working with and against authority, earning enmity and praise in equal measure. In Welcome to the Bangkok Slaughterhouse, he tells the heartbreaking and heartwarming stories of the poorest of Thailand's poor, each a gem guaranteed to bring anger, tears, and joy.

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One Arrow, One Life is a classic treatise on kyudo, the art of traditional Japanese archery, and its relation to the ideals and practice of Zen Buddhism.With a solid introduction to the form and practice of Zen meditation, as well as a thorough description of the Eight Stages of Kyudo, One Arrow, One Life captures the subtleties of the complementary nature of thought and action, movement and stillness. Demonstrating the importance of bringing movement, posture and breathing into harmony, One Arrow, One Life interweaves Zen philosophy with daily experience and techniques, teachers, and the dojo, to give a name and face to kyudo.  Beginning with its discussion of the breathing, posture, and concentration that is fundamental to both disciplines, then quickly moving on to the subtleties of advanced practice, author, Ken Kushner ties everything together into a personal testimony of the pervasiveness of Zen in everyday life.<br>Illustrator, Jackson Morisawa's line drawings bring the art of kyudo to life. For those interested in Zen and moving meditation, kyudo practitioners of all levels, as well as students of the Way of martial arts, this volume is an indispensable guidebook.

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Lessons from Japan's Warrior Culture - Five Classic Texts on Bushido

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"A collection of five classic books on 'bushido,' or Japanese warrior culture. Whereas stoicism influenced Western ideas about what it means to be a man, in Japan, Confucian elements shaped the ideal of a warrior. Were this guide rewritten as a modern book, it would be an excellent guide on what it means to be an upright man. -- The Epoch Times"

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In The Japanese Mind, Roger Davies offers Westerners an insightful guide to understanding the unique aspects of Japanese culture.

Readers of this book will develop a comprehensive grasp of Japanese society and the core values that remain at its foundation.

Among the topics explored are:aimai (ambiguity), amae (dependence upon others' benevolence), and amakudari (the nation's descent from heaven)chinmoku (silence in communication), gambari (perseverance), and giri (social obligation)haragei (literally, "belly art"; implicit, unspoken communication), kenkyo (the appearance of modesty), and sempai-kohai (seniority)wabi-sabi (simplicity and elegance), and zoto (gift giving)As well as discussions of child-rearing, personal space, and the roles of women in Japanese society.
With discussion topics and questions after each chapter, this book is an easy-to-use introduction to the distinguishing characteristics of Japanese society; an invaluable resource for anyonebusiness people, travelers, or studentsperfect for course adoption, but also for anyone interested in Japanese culture.

Next in this series:
Now available separately, Japanese Culture: The Religious and Philosophical Foundations is a fascinating journey through Japan's rich cultural history.