Quantity:

More Buying Choices

27 used & new from �2.15

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

A Gaijin's Guide to Japan: an Alternative Look at Japanese Life, History and Culture

See larger image

Share your own customer images

Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

A Gaijin's Guide to Japan: an Alternative Look at Japanese Life, History and Culture (Paperback)

by Ben Stevens (Author)

2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

RRP:	�7.99
Price:	�4.96 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save:	�3.03 (38%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Wednesday, November 25? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

22 new from �2.15 5 used from �2.99

12 Days of Christmas Sale in Books
Get up to 65% off some of our top titles. Shop now

› See more product promotions

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Illuminate your book with the innovative Philips LED reading light--exclusive to Amazon.co.uk. Shop now.

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan by Patrick W. Galbraith

Price For Both: �13.32

Show availability and delivery details

This item: A Gaijin's Guide to Japan: an Alternative Look at Japanese Life, History and Culture by Ben Stevens

In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan by Patrick W. Galbraith

In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

This item: A Gaijin's Guide to Japan: an Alternative Look at Japanese Life, History and Culture by Ben Stevens
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan by Patrick W. Galbraith
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan

by Patrick W. Galbraith

4.0 out of 5 stars (1) �8.36

Japan - Culture Smart! The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

by Paul Norbury

4.0 out of 5 stars (3) �4.55

Japan (DK Eyewitness Travel Guide)

by John Benson

4.7 out of 5 stars (3) �10.88

Japanese (Lonely Planet Phrasebook)

by Yoshi Abe

4.1 out of 5 stars (7) �3.47

Tokyo (Lonely Planet Encounter Guide)

by Wendy Yanagihara

4.8 out of 5 stars (5) �4.95

› Explore similar items

Product details

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: The Friday Project Limited (1 May 2009)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1906321213
ISBN-13: 978-1906321215
Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2 cm

Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 105,823 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#52 in Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Asia > Japan

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

An alternative look at Japanese life, history and culture Your Rough Guide or Lonely Planet book can tell who where to stay or what to see, but how do you really get under the skin of Japan? In this book Ben Stevens explores the serious and the frivolous, the history and the obsessions of a fascinating nation. Taking an A-Z walk through Japanese culture, A Gaijin's Guide To Japan looks at everything from akachochin bars to chikan (the weird blokes who touch you up on trains), geisha, inari shrines, karaoke, omikuji (sacred lottery) and ending up at zen. With a fair sprinkling of celebrity mentions - from David Beckham to soap opera star Yong-sama - and handy guides to kanji and sushi this is the perfect book for the Japanophile in all of us. Ideal for readers planning a visit to Japan but also to armchair fans of Japanese culture.

About the Author

Ben Stevens splits his year between homes in Japan and London. He has been fascinated with Far Eastern culture all his life and his first book, From Lee To Li, a guide to martial arts heroes is published in spring 2009

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

japan(2)

japan guide(2)

See all 6 tags...

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	60% buy the item featured on this page: A Gaijin's Guide to Japan: an Alternative Look at Japanese Life, History and Culture 2.7 out of 5 stars (3) �4.96
	14% buy The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan 4.0 out of 5 stars (1) �8.36
	10% buy The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture 3.3 out of 5 stars (10) �7.26
	9% buy Japan - Culture Smart! The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture 4.0 out of 5 stars (3) �4.55

Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

2.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars unstuffy fun, 3 Jun 2009

By	D. Pawley - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book is an introduction to many different aspects of Japan, arranged in an A-Z format, from Sada Abe to Zen. Topics covered range from mythology to culture to etiquette to politics (thanks to Mr Stevens for reminding me of Tokyo's eccentric governor, Shintaro "French people can't count" Ishihara). It's a fun and informal read which never goes too deeply into any subject, although you could use it as a springboard for some Googling if you want to get a bit more in depth. It's a good capsule picture of life in Japan, and great for dipping into.
It's not all perfect - the copyediting is a bit sloppy, and the humour can be hit and miss, but the best thing I can say about this book is that I wish I'd had a copy before I moved to Tokyo. At the time all I could find were travel guides and dry treatises on the correct angle to bow at when handing over a business card (also covered here!), and this book would have been great when trying to settle into a strange new city.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read, just not a guidebook or story.., 3 Sep 2009

By	R. Lambert (Winchester, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I rented A Gaijin's Guide to Japan from the local library.

It's actually a really good book with some useful information contained within it. It's formatted in an A-Z style with lots of emphasis on culture and beliefs and customs. I've never been to Japan to use the information contained but it looks pretty conscise. It's certainly not a reference or guide book but a supplemental book.

The writing style is light-hearted and fun. I found it quite tricky to read sometimes because of the sentence structure but that's a minor niggle really. It didn't take me long to blast through the book but I did find myself wavering in the middle. This was mainly due to the A-Z style rather than a personal story format. There's no story bringing me back. It's just references but not in a guide book style.

Other than that though I liked the book a lot and I thought the author, Ben Stevens, has written a great little read. Just don't rely on it for all your facts for Japan. Also - was not impressed to find no mention section on Bento (obento).

For the price it's on at Amazon it's definitely worth a punt.

Rob..

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A joke that is not funny, 18 May 2009

By	Jackal (Singapore) - See all my reviews

Some bloke teaching English in Japan decides to make some extra cash by writing an A-Z about Japanese culture. A better book could have been written in two weeks.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 3 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }