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.

An A-Z guide to martial arts heroes Who gave Bruce Lee advice on kicking and taught Muhammad Ali how to punch? Which Welshman is revered in Japan as a karate expert, novelist and environmentalist? On which film did Jackie Chan fracture his skull and almost lose his life? All these questions and more are answered in From Lee To Li. Ben Stevens, a lifelong martial arts fan, has compiled a quirky and informative guide to the giants of martial arts history. From Bruce Lee to Jet Li, from Neil Adams to Donnie Yen with Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris, Tony Jaa, Brian Jacks and plenty more in between. Covering popular forms such as judo and kung fu right through to lesser-known arts like hapkido and iaido, From Lee To Li is a guide for enthusiasts of martial arts sports and kung fu movies alike and is probably the only A-Z to feature monks alongside movie stars and Olympic athletes.