You Gotta Have Wa

Rating:
Summary: Japan 101
Review: If I were teaching a college course on Japan, this would be my text book. Readable, funny and right on the mark. The way Americans and Japanese approach baseball provides an excellent illustraion about how we differ in our approach to work and life in general.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Book About American Ballplayers in Japan
Review: In describing the Japanese game of baseball and the problems it has caused Americans attempting to play that game, Whiting succeeds in painting a vivid picture of the differences between the American and Japanese cultures. After reading this book, I came away feeling that both countries could learn from each other: by learning about how the Japanese live their lives, Americans could become more dedicated to their jobs and less self-centered; meanwhile, the American way of life could teach the Japanese to be more independent and less willing to always sacrifice their own well-being and that of their families for the good of their teams (or companies). A happy median between the two extremes of the cultures would result in better environments for everyone. In reaching these conclusions about the two countries, I realized that this book was much more than just another volume on baseball. If you're looking for a pure baseball book, you may want to try something else; however, Whiting's effort is a memorable one and I would advise that you don't pass it up. The stories of Americans trying to play baseball and acclimate themselves to the new, strange environment of Japan are both humorous and unsettling at the same time. Because these players are foreigners -- and especially because they are American foreigners -- they receive a special stigma and must deal with much more pressure than a normal Japanese player. The Americans are usually paid a lot of money to play in the land of the rising sun, which only adds to the widespread belief in Japan that these players are primma donnas who care more about the money than they do about winning. Some of the Japanese training methods will strike American readers as bizarre, if not completely ridiculous. Subjecting players to the thousand-fungo drill and making tired starting pitchers throw 200 pitches on their off-days are just a couple of the off-the-wall ideas championed by Japanese baseball's greatest thinkers. These methods may seem more harmful than beneficial, but one has to respect the work ethic and the dedication of the Japanese players. Even if you are not a baseball fan, you will probably find this book interesting. One of my only beefs with it is that there is no index. That may seem nit-picky and it obviously has nothing to do with the actual content of the book, but once I'd finished the book, I wanted to go back and read about certain incidences that occured with specific players. It would have been nice if I had been able to refer to an index to find the stories about these players instead of having to skim several pages trying to locate those stories. Oh well, it's still a great read.

Rating:
Summary: great review of an americans crazy life in japanese baseball
Review: like the warren cromartie book slugging it out in japan this is another must have book as up until 1988 it tells you the crazy goings on and stories involving americans baseball players in japan from the army type practices to the americans wider than a cadilac strike zone you can't even hit that ball with a boat oar(bob horner yakult swallows) this book tells you all.i wish someone would write a even newer version of this book as i've heard alot of stories involving kevin mitchell and rex hudler among others in japan.great book.if you are curious about japanese baseball get this book.

Rating:
Summary: More Japan than Baseball
Review: On the surface, this is a treatise about baseball in Japan. Only slightly underneath, it's a fascinating work on the difference between Japanese and American culture. The title word Wa comes from the Japanese word for team unity, as opposed to the American interest in individuality.

The book goes through both a history of baseball in Japan, as well as challenges American's deal with over there. It covers the trials and tribulations of Americans like Bob Horner, who thrive on the diamond, but struggle off the field. It covers the adverserial relationship between Japanese coaches and their foreign (Gai-jin) charges. Any American going to work in Japan is well advised to pay attention!

How is Japan changing over time? Compare how the approval of "different" antics of foreigners changes over time. Learn how some Japanese players follow the model, but as the exception and not the rule. Is the Japanese culture changing, or a surface appearance of change part of the Japanese character? Read the book to find out. Again, it's only about baseball on the surface.

How does training differ? The American model suggests individuals can improve, but only to the limit of their ability. The Japanese model in both the field and the office is that there is no limit - strength and success is limited only by effort. This drive leads to a 10-11 month season counting training camp, as well as several hours of strenuous exercizes every day before practice. This is essential to developing the fighting spirit. Again, someone travelling to Japan for business is well advised to understand this.

The book is a must for baseball lovers as well as people interested in learning more about Japan. The book is a fascinating work that hides great learning behind Japan under the story of America's pastime.

Rating:
Summary: More Japan than Baseball
Review: On the surface, this is a treatise about baseball in Japan. Only slightly underneath, it's a fascinating work on the difference between Japanese and American culture. The title word Wa comes from the Japanese word for team unity, as opposed to the American interest in individuality.

The book goes through both a history of baseball in Japan, as well as challenges American's deal with over there. It covers the trials and tribulations of Americans like Bob Horner, who thrive on the diamond, but struggle off the field. It covers the adverserial relationship between Japanese coaches and their foreign (Gai-jin) charges. Any American going to work in Japan is well advised to pay attention!

How is Japan changing over time? Compare how the approval of "different" antics of foreigners changes over time. Learn how some Japanese players follow the model, but as the exception and not the rule. Is the Japanese culture changing, or a surface appearance of change part of the Japanese character? Read the book to find out. Again, it's only about baseball on the surface.

How does training differ? The American model suggests individuals can improve, but only to the limit of their ability. The Japanese model in both the field and the office is that there is no limit - strength and success is limited only by effort. This drive leads to a 10-11 month season counting training camp, as well as several hours of strenuous exercizes every day before practice. This is essential to developing the fighting spirit. Again, someone travelling to Japan for business is well advised to understand this.

The book is a must for baseball lovers as well as people interested in learning more about Japan. The book is a fascinating work that hides great learning behind Japan under the story of America's pastime.

Rating:
Summary: Could use some balance
Review: Overall a great read and worth buying, but it wore me down a bit with the unrelenting uni-directional criticism. When the spoiled, overpayed, selfish and legalistic US baseball player can't make any concessions whatsoever on contracts with Japanese teams that are making a decent effort, we could expect a little criticism as well. A contract may be a contract, but the game does suffer and there are cases related in the book where even the North American taxpaying, ticket buying public would probably willingly forego the inevitably easy criticism of Japanese culture and baseball rigamorole to take a sharper look at some of the selfish attitudes ("a contract is a contract") of a number of the players discussed. "Chrysanthemum and the Bat" by the same author was more successful at avoiding the one-sidedness, but is also dated. Also of interest by the author (although not about baseball) is "Tokyo Underworld".

Rating:
Summary: The National Past Time...of Japan
Review: Professional baseball is as important, if not more so, to Japanese culture as it is to American culture. Whiting humorously demonstrates the "culture clash" that has happened so many times when American Major Leaguers get lured to Japan to play on professional teams. The history of how the game developed in Japan is also well told here. If sports indeed mirrors society, as I believe it does, this book tells us as much about Japanese society as it does about Japanese baseball.

Rating:
Summary: The National Past Time...of Japan
Review: Professional baseball is as important, if not more so, to Japanese culture as it is to American culture. Whiting humorously demonstrates the "culture clash" that has happened so many times when American Major Leaguers get lured to Japan to play on professional teams. The history of how the game developed in Japan is also well told here. If sports indeed mirrors society, as I believe it does, this book tells us as much about Japanese society as it does about Japanese baseball.

Rating:
Summary: Really enjoyed this book -- highly recommended
Review: Robert Whiting has done a terrific job giving an overall flavor of Japanese babseball. If you have an interest in baseball and Japan, you'll enjoy "You Gotta Have Wa."

Rating:
Summary: Hiliarious! Very entertaining!
Review: This book is fun to read even if you are not into baseball, but if you are, then its awesome! Its mainly made up of many different stories and experience from American baseball players who played over in Japan. The stories are about the clash in cultures whether on or off the field and most of them are really funny and you could just picture it happening. I feel that the book is more about the cultural differences between east and west and they are just using baseball as a vehicle to illustrate them. There is a movie starring Tom Selleck called Mr. Baseball that I think is a take off from this book. It is also very fun to watch.