Aikido in Japan and The Way Less Traveled

My husband has been using this book as a master planner. While my son trains in Aikido and cultivates aspirations of training at world headquarters Aikikai The book is a very entertaining read and can be somewhat of an instruction manual. My son and I enjoy reading this book and imagining his future. Thank you.

I am not a martial artist but I enjoyed this book anyway and here's why:The author shares his encyclopediac knowledge in and passion for a wide variety of topics. His voice is alternately intense, witty, breezy and hard boiled, a nice combination.The philosophy behind and history of Aikido and other martial arts are juxtaposed with detailed descriptions of what to me seemed to be exotic practice techniques. This piqued my curiosity and enlightened me not just about martial arts but about life in general.The author did a good job of describing places I'd never been and situations I'd never been in. I felt I was right there with him which was exciting because he's lived one heck of a life.The author's dedication to excellence and courage to reach for his dreams inspired me.My one quibble with the book was that it needed a stronger editor. The author has both a great voice and a great story. A great editor would have made both even better. I recommend this book as an avid reader. I did not feel I enjoyed it any less because I am not a martial artist. I hope the author writes that second book he mentioned being in the works...

This is an excellent book that I recommend to fellow martial artists, especially of the Japanese Martial Arts. The author shares a lot of great insights into his adventures in Japan and China, with a nice sense of humor and "matter-of-fact" info that many can enjoy.I was surprised by one particular chapter that broke away from Aikido and really focused on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and it's roots in Judo. Quite informative.My one real complaint, a minor one really, was the excessive footnotes. At least half of the footnotes could have just been continued in the paragraph. But once again, a minor annoyance.Overall I think the author is a good ambassador for spreading the practice of Aikido throughout the world, and I'm looking forward to other books he writes.

A "must read" for anyone wanting to live and train in Japan. The author is incredibly knowledgable and shares his 10 years of insight and experience just "doing it".His wisdom shows through particularly when he acknowledges that things are not the same at Honbu Dojo now as they were when he was there, nor were they the same before he was there. Just as Aikido is fluid and adaptive to change, so is its headquarters.The author's descriptions and storytelling are colourful and engaging. I am among those mentioned in the book, and I found myself fondly recalling those experiences with a renewed appreciation and nostalgia.All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable and educational read. I wholeheartedly recommend this book!

Loved this book. It is well written, deeply researched, and just plain fun to read. (Embarrassingly, I laughed out loud in a coffee house.) The scope and depth of it is pretty astonishing. Thoroughly enjoyed the insights into life in Japan, the annual cycle at the Aikido world headquarters Hombu Dojo in Tokyo, the history of Japanese moving to Brazil and the birth of "Brazilian Jijujitsu", the relevance of Aikido and traditional martial arts training in an "MMA World" and on. Liked the lot! Whether you like Japan, martial arts or not - reading it is a journey well worth taking. I'll probably re-read it at some point.

This is a great read .The reviews of this book are spot on. I can only add that I am not sure which part I enjoyed the most; his 4 season account of his first year of training at the Hombo Dojo in Japan ; The Epilogue which touches an array of subjects such as MMA, Budo, self-defense,weapons training and Aikido in China or the gold mine of footnotes. Thankfully I did not take a highlighter to it and will pass this copy on as it deserves to be read and not sit on my bookshelf.

This is a great book.If you have ever thought of dropping it all and heading out on an adventure, read this.No martial arts training?? No problem, Bill captures the wonderful confusing world that is Japanese culture.Yes martial arts training. A must read. Hombu dojo is an amazing place, Bill drops you in and you are on the mats.I especially liked Bill's analysis of Aikido in the current environment of martial arts.Well done Bill.

cute mystery story for the Aikido lover in your life.

As an Aikido student with a general interest in Asia, I have found this book to be both fun to read and very informative. The ‘Mr. Japans’ out there (a term Gillespie introduces for extreme Japanophiles) probably won’t find too much new information on Japanese culture. For somebody like me, however, who has not yet spent a significant amount of time in the country, this book offers many interesting insights into Japan and Aikido. Overall, this is a fantastic book. It makes me want to pack my things and move to Tokyo straight away…

Well written. Fascinating descriptions of life in Tokyo and japanese mentality.

Der Autor hat in seiner sehr erfrischenden Art seine intensiv erlebte Zeit in Japan geschrieben. Die Erlebnisse und die Situationen waren so lebendig beschrieben, dass ich teilweise das Gefühl hatte, als wäre ich selbst mit in der Szene dabei. Da die Gegenden zum Teil mir bekannt waren, ist auch so ein vertrautes Bild beim Lesen aufgekommen. Oft habe ich auch laut lachen müssen wegen der Witzigkeit und Offenheit des Autors.Das Buch lädt mich regelrecht ein, auch mal selbst ein "sabbatical year" in Hombu dojo oder überhaupt in Japan zu verbringen. Man lernt das ganze Leben lang. Mit Lebensfreude Erlebtes und Erlerntes ist immer etwas schönes.

Boring, far too much waffle !

I recommend this fantastic read to anyone interested in not only Aikido but Jujutsu and funny life stories in general. It’s well researched and very insightful. This is the author’s first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style.