In the early 1600s some of Japan's samurai who were not vassals of fief clan lords traveled about the country challenging other samurai to fight duels to the death as their way of training-a shogunate approved custom known as shugyosha shuu-g'yoh-shah] or "samurai-in-training," The shugyosha who was to become the most famous samurai in Japan's history was a young man named Musashi Miyamoto, who fought his first duel when he was 13 years old. By the time Miyamoto was 28 he had killed over 60 other samurai in death duels, a dueling record that has never been equaled in any country where duels...

This book describes customs that reveal the mindset of present-day Japanese, providing a fascinating look at how they think and why they think and behave the way they do. These things include historical events, their "kata-based" business practices, male-female relationships, nighttime entertainment trades and other forms of recreation from sightseeing to the imaginative use of high-tech devices. It is a useful read for business people as well as for travelers and anyone interested in modern-day Japanese culture.

Japan is known worldwide for its economic prowess and such iconic symbols as geisha, karaoke, manga, Mt. Fuji, ninja, feudal-age samurai warriors and huge sumo wrestlers. What is not so well-known are its amazing historical artifacts shrines; temples; castles; the world's largest and oldest wooden buildings; arts and crafts, hundreds of annual festivals that go back nearly two thousand years]; the incredible scenic beauty of its mountains, gorges, rivers, one of the longest and most gorgeous coastlines in the world; and a combined modern and traditional lifestyle that is so fascinating and...