A Gaijin's Guide to Japan

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