5 comments about Persimmon Wind Martial Artist's Journey.

1. Several years ago, in "Autumn Lightning," Dave Lowry wrote of his experiences growing up as a young American whom had been informally "adopted" into the family of a Japanese martial arts teacher. It was a fascinating, semi-biographical account that delved into the true nature of the Japanese martial arts experience. Now, a number of years later, he has returned with a sequel-"Persimmon Wind-A Martial Artist's Journey in Japan." In "Persimmon Wind," Mr. Lowry details his first visit to Japan, to reunite with his old teacher of Japanese Shinkage Ryu swordsmanship. Despite his authorship of several fine books, including "Sword and Brush", this is easily Dave Lowry's finest work.

   Lovers of fine biographies, martial arts enthusiasts, folks interested in Japanese culture--all will enjoy "Persimmon Wind." The biographical aspect of this work is entertaining. Dave Lowry's understanding of classical martial arts and ways is superb as well. He makes a point of explaining these arts in such a way that both experienced practitioners and the general public will be able to get something out of the text. And "Persimmon Wind" will evoke fond memories from anyone that have ever been to Kyoto, and it will fascinate those that have always dreamed of visiting the Japanese island nation.

   The only weak point in the book is the publisher's failure to provide adequate proofreading. A surprising number of typos are found for a book issued by a mainstream publisher like Charles E. Tuttle.

   This quibble aside, "Persimmon Wind" is a unique book-one that can be enjoyed by an unusually wide cross-section of readers. In short, it is much more than a typical "martial arts book."




2. This is the third book I've read, and it is the one that I enjoyed the least. Yet, I still give it 4 stars!

   This is an account of the author's pilgrimage to Japan to visit his sensei in the art of swordsmanship and to visit various places important to his sensei and to their school of swordsmanship. Thus, the book is a kind of travelog of various obscure villages, gravesites and temples. Doesn't sound too promising, does it? Yet, the author infuses this account of his travels and experiences with sufficient insight and wisdom to entertain and inform. Also, it gives a finely textured account of the Japanese heartland that few westerners ever get to experience. Yes, at times the author is a bit long-winded and meandering.

   To fully appreciate this book, it would be helpful to read Autumn Lighting, the wonderful biographical account of his training in Japanese swordsmanship, begun in the American Midwest when he was an adolescent. There is much information in Autumn Lightning about the traditions, history, and founders of the author's style of martial art that makes reading Persimmon Wind a much richer experience.




3. First, let me start by saying that I am a big fan of Mr. Lowry's work and I have thoroughly enjoyed all his writings that I've read to date. I have been amused, inspired, and moved by each book. When I ordered this "sequel" to Autumn Lightning, I was expecting more of the same. It's not. It's distinctly different in style and in character, whether that be due to advances in writing technique, artistry, or simple maturation. I enjoyed the book immensely. What I most definately did NOT enjoy was the numerous typos, misspellings, and plain lack of work done by the publishing house to review the results of their process. There are paragraphs where there are 3-4 mistakes within 4 or 5 lines. This is unacceptable. I sincerely hope a second edition corrects these grevious errors, because they detract from Mr. Lowry's work. I think he especially would be ironically appreciative of the errors because they are like rocks placed incorrectly in a suieseki landscape. As a writer, Mr. Lowry rates a 5...but the lackadaisical efforts of the publishing house reduces that rating to a 3.



4. I enjoyed Lowry's account of his travels in Japan, which he uses to explain and illuminate many aspects of Japanese martial (and also not so martial) culture, ranging from flower arranging to iaijutsu and naginatajutsu, and others. I especially liked his account of training in a rural iai school in which the teachers, although possessing decades of experience (as well as comparable skill), still described themselves as "students" since they were a rural dojo and many hadn't been able to formally test for high rank, although they probably would have qualified. That didn't keep them from finding and correcting the slightest faults with his technique, and he found the workouts both exhaustive and exhausting at this humble and bucolic dojo. You can't read one of Lowry's books without learning a lot about Japanese history, philosophy, and martial arts, and this one is no different.



5. Having been a student, instructor, and researcher of the martial arts for nearly a quarter of a century now, I always read Lowry's books, but am not always inclined towards them, due to his somewhat elitist and condescending attitude (at times). This book concerns his visit to see his Shinkage ryu sensei in Japan some time after his instructor returned to Japan. Those expecting to get technical presentations from Lowry's books are apt to be disappointed, since (frankly) he rarely concerns himself with training sequences or scenarios, and prefers to tell long winded explanations of stories which are mostly only relevant to those who've had extended training in ko-ryu bujutsu and in particular the Shinkage ryu. I found this to be an interesting read, and will keep the book in my collection, but (like much of Lowry's work) it is one of those tomes which are more suitable for the researcher in arcane Japanese arts and crafts than for either serious martial arts students or even the casual reader. Many reviewers have been overly concerned with the typos and proofreading errors (of which there are a few), but I did not find that they detracted from my enjoyment of the book, so the frustrated English teachers among us should read the book and not quibble.

No comments about Success Secrets to Maximize Business in Japan (Culture Shock! Success Secrets to Maximize Business).

No comments about Japanese Portraits: Pictures of Different People (Tuttle Classics of Japanese Literature).

1 comments about Japanese a Language Map (Language Map Series).

1. As my wife and I prepare for our second trip to Japan, our fears of linguistic isolation are much smaller. This time around, we have taken conversational Japanese lessons and found out that the spoken language is not as hard as we expected (except for counting things, a real brain twister for Westerners). This Language Map helped us greatly on our first visit with the little questions, answers and bits of courtesy needed in any language. We will bring it again this time for a quick reference on the details we will inevitably forget.
   
   There is an English phonetic pronunciation beside each Japanese word or phrase. It may not be enough for someone with no knowledge of Japanese to pronounce the phrase correctly. The format of the Language Map may be too small to provide enough coaching (although, on the other hand, the compact size is a big plus). The Language Map does not inform you about the relative lack of inflection in Japanese compared to Western languages or the subtle inflections in many words. For example, many Americans think they know the Japanese equivalent of "thank you" and they almost always pronounce it "ah-ree-GAH-toh," with a strong accent on the third syllable. Of course, that's not the way the Japanese say it, with something between flat intonation and a very soft accent on the second syllable. The phonetic pronunciations do omit all those unspoken or whispered u's (saying dess instead of desu, for example). The Language Map contains the common phrase "ikura desu ka" (how much is it) with the phonetic pronunciation "ee-koo-rah dess kah." The first-time visitor to Japan may not notice the silent vowels.
   
   The Japanese may not understand us if we try to read the words provided here with English phonetic pronunciation. With luck, they would think it funny, perhaps even cute, and appreciate the effort we make to speak their language. A little knowledge of the basic rules of Japanese pronunciation would make this tool more useful.

1 comments about Eyewitness Travel Guide to Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

1. Being from India and having lived for many years in Delhi, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who plans to travel to Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.
   
   The book presents very interesting information on a variety of important 'background' topics that can enrich visitors' experience of their visit to these cities. Knowing something about the history of the region, the religions, architectural styles, music, dance, styles of jewelry etc. can help appreciate the context for the sights, monuments, artefacts, customs and cultures that you will encounter. The text and explanations are lively and well written.
   
   The illustrations and the photographs are the best part of the book. Having wandered the streets of Chandni Chowk and spent many many hours enjoying the treasures of the National Museum in Delhi, the text and pictures in the book transported me back to the place that I remember so well.
   
   I've travelled to Agra and Jaipur many times on work and I wish I had had the benefit of a guide like this to help me enjoy the sights more richly. I am travelling back there with my family later this year and this is a book that you can be sure I will have in my pack!

2 comments about A Far Valley: Four Years in a Japanese Village.

1. Brian Moeran and his family spent four years in a rural Japanese community, watching as pots are made, attending school award ceremonies, community festivals and funerals, but mostly listening (and drinking, a great deal of drinking) as their neighbors talked about their lives, their families and their communities.

   Moeran is an anthropologist, and was doing his field work in a neighboring community at the time, and he brings an anthropologist's observant eye to his diary of daily life in rural Japan.

   This book compares quite favorably to Alan Booth's classic _The roads to Sata_, and John Morley's _Pictures from the water trade_ in the ``a gaijin looks at Japan'' genre. If anything, it improves on those works by telling the tale of one community through sixteen seasons, and being peopled by individuals with whom the author formed lasting relationships. Further, Moeran's Japanese wife provides us with an occasional peek into the Japanese woman's world that is missing from most other books of this type.

   The community Moeran describes is small and isolated. It is not representative of Japan as a whole (Moeran, in his introduction, tells how urban Japanese friends found his tales of rural Japan almost as exotic as a westerner does). Some may consider this to be a drawback, but I did not. The book still introduces us to some of the aspects of ``Japanese-ness''.




2. First off, let me say that the author gives a very honest and emotional picture of ONE Japanese valley. The fact is that Japan's ideals and norms can't be judged by the study of one village OR two villages OR three villages. Also, the characters are, in some cases, composites of more than one person, names have been changed and so on, but the events DID happen.
   After saying all that I have to state that this is a great book. It is full of humor, passion, happy interaction and tragic events. And, yes, lots of drinking. Smoking too.
   The book is based on three diaries that Brian Moeran kept during his four years living in Japan. The book is broken down into three parts, each made up of chapters which are either one sentence long to many pages long and this gives the story an interesting and timeless flow. In fact, the book is only 254 pages yet seems much longer.

1 comments about Japan: A Budget Travel Guide.

1. Ian McQueen's book is by far the best travel guide to Japan, even if you're not on a budget. He describes both the well known places and the out-of-the-way ones. He doesn't make up your mind for you, but leaves it up to the reader whether what's being described is a place the reader would like to go.

   What amazed me most, of all the advice, was when he said that a certain beach in Hokkaido had washed-up fishing floats (those beautiful big glass balls) on it that people could take home (free) as souvenirs. I went there, and he was right!

   When I first came to Japan, I tried various guidebooks. This one was the best for me. Now that I've lived here 18 years, I still refer to it occasionally before a trip, and I always recommend it to new visitors.

2 comments about A Look into Japan (Japan in Your Pocket).

1. This book provides excellent information on the many cultural aspects of Japan. It is easy to understand, wonderfully illustrated, easy to carry with, and extremely valuable to anyone interested in the Japanese culture. It is a must before a Japanese visit.



2. This book is one of a series of books that I first saw in an English-language bookstore in Tokyo at the end of a long vacation in Japan. I bought one of each to bring home, and now I see they are available from Amazon.com. These are far and away the best guidebooks to life in Japan. Great illustrations, very fun to read. Do not leave home without them!

No comments about Kyoto Map (with Nara) by ITMB (Travel Reference Map).

1 comments about Practical Japanese: Your Guide to Speaking Japanese Quickly and Effortlessly in a Few Hours (Phrase Book).

1. This seems to be an expanded version of Let's Study Japanese by the same author. Big improvements are inclusion of color photos to supplement the line drawings and the addition of Japanese text to the still remaining roman-ji translation of the English phrases.
   
   Negative feature is that in the new format the book is no longer pocket size ,though still portable.