Ichiro lives in New York City with his Japanese mother. His father, an American soldier, was killed in Iraq. Now, Ichi’s mom has decided they should move back to Japan to live with Ichi’s grandfather. Grandfather becomes Ichi’s tour guide, taking him to temples as well as the Hiroshima Peace Park, where Ichi starts to question the nature of war. After a supernatural encounter with the gods and creatures of Japanese mythology, Ichi must face his fears if he is to get back home. In doing so, he learns about the nature of man, of gods, and of war. He also learns there are no easy answers—for gods or men.
Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has been one of Major League Baseball's (MLB) best players for more than ten years. But Ichiro was a star in Japan long before he came to the United States. When he joined the Seattle Mariners in 2001, Ichiro became one of the most famous athletes in the world. He also proved he was one of the best in the world when he notched his 2,500th MLB hit in 2012. Ichiro joined the New York Yankees during the 2012 season, and his star has never shined more brightly.
Ichiro Suzuki was the first Japanese position player (non-pitcher) to make it into the American Major Leagues. People thought that the Japanese couldn’t handle the power and speed of American pitchers. Ichiro proved them wrong. Now in his fourth season, Ichiro has shown that he can hit anything thrown his way and is as good, if not better than many of his American contemporaries. His love of the game, amazing skill and crowd pleasing antics have won him a following of fans around the world.
After fighting with his best friend and vowing to hate him forever, eight-year-old Henry attends a Seattle Mariners baseball game, where his great-grandfather explains that enemies can sometimes become friends again.
This classic book on Japanese culture and etiquette takes a candid look at Asia's most modern, yet misread society. Here is a different book about the Japanese. A far cry from the purple prose of the starry-eyed Western visitor or the sterile style of the government gazette, The Japanese Are Like That is a down to earth scrutiny of the so called "inscrutable" Japanese. Armed with a cool head, the gift of clear expression, and an objectivity born of years of foreign residence, the author discusses with refreshing candor the national traits and ways of life of his countrymen, and compares them with those of other peoples, letting the chips fall where they may Despite his background as a career diplomat, Mr. Kawasaki in this book dispenses with top hat and striped trousers and pulls no punches in exploding some popular myths and romantic illusions about Japan and the Japanese. This book is certain to provide the reader with new insights into little known facets of Japan which very few authors have cared or dared to treat so openly.
Learn how to hit, steal, and field like an all-star. With instructional photos throughout, easy how-to advice, and drills suitable for everyone, this book cover all the fundamentals.
Ichiro Suzuki, one of the New York Yankees' newest outfielders and hottest batters, talks about all things baseball in this candid book that reveals the inner mind of one of baseball's finest practitioners. Since Ichiro Suzuki joined the Seattle Mariners in 2001, he awed America, earned the respect of his teammates, and won the heart of baseball fans everywhere. But being notoriously private and media-elusive, fans know very little about him. Ichiro proves to be a thoughtful and gifted student of the game. He articulates how, as one of the smaller players in the MLB, it takes something more than power and strength to become a fully realized player and effective team member. Being a baseball superstar on two continents, he reflects on the insane media coverage he endures, as well as his own awe for the game’s great players. In this frank conversation, the leading Major League batter breaks down the art and science of the swing. From the Hardcover edition.
Ichiro Hori's is the first book in Western literature to portray how Shinto, Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist elements, as well as all manner of archaic magical beliefs and practices, are fused on the folk level. Folk religion, transmitted by the common people from generation to generation, has greatly conditioned the political, economic, and cultural development of Japan and continues to satisfy the emotional and religious needs of the people. Hori examines the organic relationship between the Japanese social structure—the family kinship system, village and community organizations—and folk religion. A glossary with Japanese characters is included in the index.
Welcome to the Yankees, Ichiro! An homage to one of the great baseball players of our era, Baseball Is Just Baseball is a wide-ranging selection of Ichiro's most startling and provocative observations. Updated to reflect his move to New York in July 2012, the book also includes a revised Introduction by acclaimed nonfiction writer David Shields. When Ichiro was traded to the Yankees on July 23, 2012, the news made headlines around the world. He will finish out the year in pinstripes before becoming a free agent in 2013. Ichiro is a ten-time All-Star, ten-time Gold Glove winner, 2001 AL MVP and Rookie of the Year, and a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame. Experience reality rather than your expectation of reality. Believe in yourself. Don't take yourself seriously, but find an activity to be passionate about and take that activity very seriously. Don't buy the hype. Dissolve hate into love. Care more about the process than the product. Find joy in the seeking itself. Such are some of the simple but profound ideas embodied in this prize of a little book--a document of not only a popular athlete but an impressively thoughtful human being.
“Gorgeous George” Sisler, a left-handed first baseman, began his major-league baseball career in 1915 with the St. Louis Browns. During his sixteen years in the majors, he played with such baseball luminaries as Ty Cobb (who once called Sisler “the nearest thing to a perfect ballplayer”), Babe Ruth, and Rogers Hornsby. He was considered by these stars of the sport to be their equal, and Branch Rickey, one of baseball’s foremost innovators and talent scouts, once said that in 1922 Sisler was “the greatest player that ever lived.” During his illustrious career he was a .340 hitter, twice achieving the rare feat of hitting more than .400. His 257 hits in 1920 is still the record for the “modern” era. Considered by many to be one of the game’s most skillful first basemen, he was the first at his position to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Yet unlike many of his peers who became household names, Sisler has faded from baseball’s collective consciousness. Now in The Sizzler, this “legendary player without a legend” gets the treatment he deserves. Rick Huhn presents the story of one of baseball’s least appreciated players and studies why his status became so diminished. Huhn argues that the answer lies somewhere amid the tenor of Sisler’s times, his own character and demeanor, the kinds of individuals who are chosen as our sports heroes, and the complex definition of fame itself. In a society obsessed with exposing the underbellies of its heroes, Sisler’s lack of a dark side may explain why less has been written about him than others. Although Sisler was a shy, serious sort who often shunned publicity, his story is filled with its own share of controversy and drama, from a lengthy struggle among major-league moguls for his contractual rights—a battle that helped change the structure of organized baseball forever—to a job-threatening eye disorder he developed during the peak of his career and popularity. By including excerpts from Sisler’s unpublished memoir, as well as references to the national and international events that took place during his heyday, Huhn reveals the full picture of this family man who overcame great obstacles, stood on high principles, and left his mark on a game he affected in a positive way for fifty-eight years.
