Japan The Ultimate Samurai Guide: An Insider Looks at the Japanese Martial Arts and Surviving in the Land of Bushido and Zen

Whether you are new to the world of budo or have been in it for decades, I highly recommend this book. With humor, wit, and a deep knowledge of Japanese culture and it's martial arts, Dr. Alexanander Bennett Sensei has given us another wonderful and very accessible book about Budo. Filled with delightful photos, prints, and comics, the book covers just about everything one could hope it would! It does a wonderful job of elucidating the more esoteric aspects of Budo thought and literature as well as clarifying and expanding Budo's more common elements. It's a book that one can really study and go back to, or can pick up quickly and still get volumes from. It has so many gems! For example a brilliant summary of Neko no Myojustu or the "The Cat's Eerie Skill" a somewhat obscure text that looks at a group of cats trying to catch a formidable rat as an analogy for one of the highest expressions of martial knowledge, it's complete with diagrams, so cool! Dr. Alexanander Bennett Sensei is one of the most knowledgeable western Budo practitioners around, not only does hold very high ranks in many Japanese martial arts but he teaches martial theory and techniques in Japan at Kansai University in Osaka. If you don't know Dr. Bennett Sensei's work this is a very fun place to start!

“The Ultimate Samurai Guide” is a book for you, gaisam (gaijin-samurai) preparing your journey, for you, gaisam struggling in Japan, for you, Budoka with no desire to train in Japan but with desire to contextualize your practice in the greater world of Budo, but also for you, relatives of a gaisam living the Japanese dream.It is the first book that must be put in the hands of the one who wants to enter the Japanese culture by the martial art door.If you’ve decided to come over, “How to play the game by Japanese rules while keeping your identity intact”, is your own challenge now, were you Budoka or not, for all that matters.Among all my readings in English, Japanese and French, I consider this book the best introduction that has ever been published and I recommend it to anyone having an interest in the Japanese culture and history.I wish I'd have this book 15 years earlier when I arrived in Japan.

Thank you for the in-depth guide for the lonely gai-sam. Recommend that any budo practitioner read this before embarking on their journey to Japan. All essential information is contained, furthering fulfillment on your quest for knowledge.Wish there were more tips on how to mind-read/situation-read but I suppose that comes with more experience and is not within the scope of this book.Grateful for the years of diligence the author put into the study of nuanced understanding, and further, his eagerness to share this knowledge with the world.

15 years ago I was preparing to move to Japan in the pursuit of my martial art. I was excited, scared and confused in equal parts. People had given me much advice about what to expect, some good, some bad, some based on hearsay and a lot of it was conflicting. The Ultimate Samurai Guide is the book I wish I had read back then. For me, much of The Ultimate Samurai Guide is a trip down memory lane with reminders of the silly mistakes, strange turn of events and hard earned lessons during my time in Japan.In contrast to some of Dr Bennett’s previous books, The Ultimate Samurai Guide is not bent towards the “serious” or “academic” side but succeeds in being very informative and at the same time entertaining, relatable and beautifully illustrated. Some martial arts puritans might frown upon from its somewhat irreverent tone. In my opinion it just helps to demystify some topics and provide a little tongue in cheek humor surrounding the very serious business that is martial arts.

An informative read with a lot more info and insight than I expected. A definite must-read for anyone traveling to Japan, whether for a short or long stay.

Hard to put down. Great pictures and a text with many laugh out loud moments. I’ve enjoyed all of Alexander Bennett’s books. It’s nice he had a chance to let his hair down with this one.

Studying martial arts in Japan is a dream for many... this guide provides insights and advice that make the dream a bit more accessible.

Japan The Ultimate Samurai Guide: An Insider Looks at the Japanese Martial Arts and Surviving in the Land of Bushido and Zen by Alexander Bennet is a non-fiction book tracing the history of Samurais, their way of life, fighting styles all the way to today’s Japan. Mr. Bennett is a martial artist as well as a professor at Kansai university in Osaka.I was very glad to read Japan The Ultimate Samurai Guide: An Insider Looks at the Japanese Martial Arts and Surviving in the Land of Bushido and Zen by Alexander Bennet, a very informative and interesting book about Budo, samurais, weapons and the Japanese culture. The book is full of colorful pictures, works or art, diagrams, and illustrations.The author first explains what is Budo, a sport he mastered. He goes on to explain his interest in Japan, arriving as a high school exchange student, and trying to assimilate into a society which basically frowns up assimilation. The author states he wrote a book which he would have liked to have when landing in Japan, knowing nothing, a fantastic and generous goal.The book than delves into history, who were the Samurai? Where did they come from? Where are they today? After a brief primer on Japan and the Samurais, the author starts explaining Japanese Martial Arts, the schools, and weapons. He even goes into today’s modern Budo arts and training.The chapter I found most fascinating was the last one, Survining Japan. From the people, culture, food, entertainment to learning the language and even safety. It was a fascinating introduction to modern day Japan viewed through the eyes of a long time, yet foreign resident.Besides the interest in history and martial arts, this book’s strength is for the visitor to this beautiful land. The pictures themselves make me want to go and buy a ticket immediately.

When considering the complexity and the intricacy of Japanese history, as well as the endless innovation and colorfulness which defined, over the centuries, the development of martial arts in Japan, a potential reader might be a bit skeptical about the ability to pick up just one book and finding a clear, well structured and informative overview of a large portion of Japanese history. However Bennett manages to do just that. Starting with a somewhat obvious and unavoidable chapter on the actual and metaphoric meaning/value of the samurai, Bennett initiates a narrative journey that through its approximately 150 pages never falters in conveying the main issues and pinpointing the various crucial historical turning points. To approach and go through the presented "history lesson" as well as, in many ways, the reading of contemporary Japan, is nevertheless not a boring task. Quite the opposite, the author manages to insert his own unique (some would say non-Japanese) take on the various cultural and social phenomena, and by doing so, and by drawing on his own extensive experience (his living and working in Japan, together with his martial arts proficiency and the continuously reaffirmed academic excellency regarding the subject of budo) he creates humorous and insightful remarks that both drive the narrative forward and provide an explanation of a concept on the occasion that such a thing is needed. Conclusively Japan: The Ultimate Samurai Guide is simultaneously a book that could be used as an easily accessible academic source for all budo related issues, but also as a proper guidebook for all those individuals who became trapped in the stunning world of Japanese martial arts, Japanese tradition, culture and customs.

Having met Alex on a number of occasions and being aware of his expertise both practically and academically, the quality of this text came as no surprise. Experienced practitioners may not find anything new here but then this book is clearly meant as an introduction to Budo and studying in Japan. With this in mind, the presentation of the book is excellent with appropriate, high quality images used throughout to supplement the text. The layout helps engage and inform the reader in a very accessible manner. It reads almost like a Lonely Planet guide to Budo at times. Again, this is a strong point given it's target audience. The six main chapters cover important areas such as the core concepts of Bushido and the integration of Budo within the Japanese education system in a clear and concise manner. The chapter on surviving life in a Japanese dojo could prove potentially the most beneficial to anyone wishing to visit and study in Japan. In a straightforward manner Alex explains how to avoid the many potential pitfalls facing non Japanese.Having arrived in Japanese almost 15 years ago and naively expecting to find dojo on every corner, this book would have been very welcome and useful. Highly recommended for anyone who intends to visit and study in Japan or even practitioners who wish to learn a little more about the cultural background of the arts they practice.

A very interesting and useful book for anyone planning to study budo in Japan. Lots of info on budo, Japanese culture and language, living in Japan. Written with touches of humour by someone who knows a great deal about these subjects.

Great book.Great service.

i enjoyed this very much a good read and full of useful information