OK, I know I posted about a different book awhile back, promising to write a review of it. That still might come, and same with the one for this book. It has been on my list of “books to get” for awhile now, and I finally decided it was time. Looks quirky and interesting, and should be a real eye opener about what baseball in Japan was like 20 years ago, at least from the perspective of the author and the people he interviewed. Have any of you read this book or heard of it? The Japanese title, by the way, is Wa wo motte Nihon to nasu (和をもって日本となす). If you have any thoughts, let me know! If you want to borrow it when I am finished, let me know! (No promises I can get it into your hands, but we can try to make it happen anyways!)
Like I said last time… book review coming soon!
“You Gotta Have Wa” is a classic! It’s impossible to fully understand yakyu without reading this book. It delves into the history of Japanese baseball and explains why it developed in the way it has. For Tigers fans, the chapter on Randy Bass and the Tigers’ 1985 championship is excellent.
Awesome! It just arrived in the mail 20 minutes ago and I’m already even more excited about reading it! Thanks for the feedback!
A must read, a lot of Hanshin stories in there. The book sure paints Yomiuri in a villainous light too.
Makes me that much more excited to read it!
Now that I think about it, the book actually helped me understand a few things better about living and working in Japan too. I guess I just need everything explained to me in terms of baseball. Enjoy.
One of my absolute favorite books on baseball, period. As a Tigers fan, perhaps the best book on Japanese baseball. That said, and don’t judge me for this, I’m also a big fan of Warren Cromartie’s “Slugging it Out in Japan”. It may be 90% Kyojin, it may be just one man’s experience and it certainly is beneath anything by Whiting (“Chrysanthemum and the Bat” anyone?) but it’s still a great read and a must for any foreign fan of NPB.
Now that I’m half done “Wa” I definitely will get my hands on “Chrysanthemum and the Bat” and will look out for Cromartie’s book too… he comes up in “Wa” and I think it would be fun to read about Japanese baseball from his perspective! Thanks for the comment!