ANGRY WHI PYJAMAS

As a newly minted ShoDan in Shiho Karano Karate, I have to be skilled in knowledge as well as technique. To that end, I've been reading a number of books about the martial arts. One part of that genre are the autobiographical accounts of Budo practitioners. I want to gain deeper insight through what others have experienced, learned, and how they changed as a result of martial arts training. "Angry White Pyjamas" is one such tale, written by a Brit who studied Aikido in Japan during the 90s. Robert Twigger, a disaffected thirtysomething teaching English to Tokyo high school girls, decides that he is incomplete as a man without some sort of physical challenge. Martial arts training appears to fit the bill, so he and his two expiate roommates enroll in a local aikido dojo. While taking regular classes, Mr. Twigger is drawn to the dojo's toughest mode of aikido instruction: an intense yearlong course normally taken by Japanese Kidotai (riot police) as a job requirement. Despite his initial misgivings and warnings from others about the course's difficulty, he goes for it and resolves to finish no matter what. "Angry White Pyjamas" chronicles Mr. Twigger's struggle to prove himself by successfully completing the Kidotai Aikido course.Mr. Twigger makes many observations about his life and Japanese culture both in and out of the dojo, so there's lots of exposition compared to, say, "Moving Zen" by C.W. Nicol. Also unlike Sensei Nicol, Mr. Twigger is not wholeheartedly enraptured by Japanese culture. He has a more postmodern viewpoint, so his anecdotes are not filtered through rose-colored glasses. But humor leavens much of his story, and there's no disrespect or Western condescension. As one who was stationed in mainland Japan from '88 to '90, I enjoyed the reminders his recollections provoked (funky food, navigating the extensive train system, hanging out in Roppongi, etc.). Mr. Twigger also makes the other folks he encounters come alive through his writing; his slacker roommates Fat Frank and Chris are particularly priceless. But the most interesting aspect of "Angry White Pyjamas" is Mr. Twigger's search for validation as a male through overcoming adversity. He reminded me of an "Iron John" or "Wild at Heart" kind of guy, looking for affirmation of his masculinity via completion of the brutal riot police course. As a former Marine and current martial artist, I identified and sympathized with his quest. The course was a rite of passage for Mr. Twigger, and I rooted for him every step of the way. Many times he came close to quitting due to constant pain, injuries, fatigue, interpersonal conflicts, and his own perceived ineptitude with aikido. But despite these hardships he didn't give up, and for that I commend and respect him.I read "Angry White Pyjamas" in conjunction with "Iron and Silk" by Mark Salzman and "Moving Zen" by C.W. Nicol to get multiple perspectives on martial arts training. It's interesting to compare and contrast Mr. Twigger's 90s presuppositions and experiences with those of Mr. Salzman's in the 80s and Sensei Nicol's in the early 60s. Each book is a fascinating snapshot of a particular era, culture, and martial art style (Aikido, Wushu, and Karate). But despite their different philosophies, motivations, and levels of immersion, all of these men achieved personal growth and maturation through practicing the martial arts in a persevering fashion. I found that to be inspiring, and so I recommend all three books.

It is an interesting and humorous read about one person's experience in completing a rigorous training course in Aikido where you achieve a blackbelt with teaching credentials in one year's time. Anyone who is familiar with the artform can tell you that it takes a long time to learn and become proficient at it. Also while training you are sure to encounter challenges and difficulty in addition to eventually injuring yourself and learning to work with pain. Part of what the training is about is not only how to dish out the technique but also how to protect yourself by blending with it. Learning both is the only way to survive as landing incorrectly will eventually dissuade you from wanting to continue. Having been a student for several years (recently achieved 4th kyu) I can say that many people think they will pick this up easily and have calculated a certain timeline to black. They usually quit upon coming to the full realization that the art does not come easily to a prescribed path and one simply has to keep coming in order to get better. There are no specific katas to master but attacks and defenses and each one requires time to polish. When done correctly, it is a very beautiful form and also very effective. I have heard conflicting views on the author's viewpoint from he is on his high horse looking down on the Japanese culture to my own view point of it is one man's experience. It is a good read and if you have any experience with Aikido you will recognize and remember your experience learning some of the techniques he names. I do know that his training is indeed rigorous and if my own training were styled like his I would have walked away. I can say that I understand their approach but, it is definitely not for everyone. Having said all of that I say again that it is a good read and do recommend it.

I live in Japan, have studied the language for several years and am asked often by visitors what books I'd recommend to them to get acquainted with the country. Angry White Pyjamas is one of the top recommendations I'll make from now on. It is fun, and in a usually unbiased way portrays Japanese society as it is: bizarre and surprising to the westerner. The author gets most of his rather low-key comments on the observed right, too. One of the big screw-ups are his comments on Japanese food to which he attributes no value. The food he experienced was probably influenced by two factors: his low income (never good in the world's most expensive country) and life in the dojo which apparently didn't avail him to anything better than the worst there is. The description of the Yoshinkan course is satisfying for someone with an interest in martial arts but no deep expertise in it. It is more about life in that particular dojo, rather than about Aikido itself, e.g. the technical aspects of it.

This book is hands down the best autobiographical material available on training in Asian martial arts. I love martial arts as both practice and history. I train in shotokan karate and am widely read in a variety of martial arts and in general Japanese history. I believe in honoring hierarchy and preserving tradition. But the, frankly, willful ignorance of the critical reviews here I have no respect for. Twigger's book is not only outstanding as literature, it is exceptionally non-judgemental. People who confuse personal observations and opinions as some kind of objective slander have simply fallen into the cult-like group-think displayed by so many western practitioners of Asian martial arts. It's pathetic, really.I guarantee you that if you are desperate for a work that combines real martial arts with real literature, this is the best and perhaps only book available to you.

I purchased this book and got round to reading whilst on holiday. It’s a very well written book with the writing style interesting but still accessible. The book has some humour woven into it and offers a Western perspective into Japanese culture and martial arts. The book focuses upon the writer who is adrift in Japan and seeks purpose from training in Aikido. This book should appeal equally to those who enjoy books themed around marital arts and those interested in travel/culture. I found it very easy to read and easy to get hooked on. A very enjoyable read and I would highly recommend it.

The author, and Englishman working in Tokyo, took up the martial art of Aikido. His dojo ran an intensive and brutal aikido course which is used to train the Japanese riot police. He signed up, and this is the account of what happened.The book is funny at points, but comes across as a truthful account - it is not played for laughs. You don't think (in contrast to many "I did something wacky" memoirs) that it was a project mainly to publish a book all along; something which can be fatal to the sincerity of the book. It has fascinating insights into what it is like to experience Japanese culture as a foreigner, and to be involved in traditional Japanese training methods. It has interesting things to say about doing martial arts.It also as exciting as a novel: you watch the characters with fascination as the class fight (literally and metaphorically) through the challenges of the course.The writing is fine, and in an unobtrusive style which depicts events and observations clearly without becoming distracting - quite a feat in a book which could just as easily have become a hubristic memoir as a play-it-for-laughs. Quotations from Tesshu, Mr Twigger's 19-th Century samurai-poet-swordsman hero are interesting, and are nicely interwoven with the text.While Mr Twigger's martial arts experience is very different from my own, he captures some things which I really recognized, and I felt I learned a couple of things too. But explanations are kept very easy to follow, whether they are factual - about training drills - or more philosophical - about mindset of martial arts. You could certainly enjoy this book if you'd never done any martial arts (though it might encourage you to try).

`Angry White Pyjamas' follows an Englishman in Japan as he trains on the extreme Tokyo riot police course. It looks at his time and training in an Aikido dojo and makes for fascinating reading. The style of Aikido he learnt is Yoshinkan and isn't truly representative of Aikido in general, you don't tend to get the overly macho and violent teachers and philosophy in other Aikido schools. In fact this was the one aspect of the book I disliked the most, the cruelty in teaching methods and overall philosophy of some of the people involved in the school were highly dubious. Martial arts are tough and this particular course is renowned for it's strict methods and brutal training schedule, but in the main Aikido is a much more respectful art than what is portrayed here. Saying that, this is still an interesting read about one man's experience in a Japanese dojo and trying to make sense of Japanese society in general and for that alone it kept me reading. As you read you question whether you could handle such a tiring and hardcore course syllabus and by the end of the book you start to wince at every blow the students receive. This is an interesting book about life in one particular school of Japanese martial arts and if you are interested in martial arts it is worth a read. I personally didn't feel it to be as great as some other reviewers here though.Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.

Robert Twigger writes an entertaining story of his time in Japan, not falling into what I would assume to be the all too easy form of technical jargon, rather revealing the human side of what it takes to survive such a punishing course.It should be noted that this isn't a book aimed squarely at martial arts enthusiasts, I would heartily recommend this book to anyone. It was interesting to read his physcological journey of ups and downs, being absolutely honest about his fears and character flaws. A man writing a book such as this would be so easily tempted to write himself into infamy.I myself have never been involved with martial arts, nor do I have a burning enthusiasm for it. Never the less, even I enjoyed this book. A testament to its broad scope.I recommend this book.

An interesting and amusing insight into the seemingly impossible world of Aikido. It challenges the reader to consider whether or not the journey he took was a means to an end - a whimsical fantasy that transformed into a fear of failure and a need to avoid losing face. Or was this genuine journey of self discovery. To the 'purists' I suspect it will be the former. I enjoyed the human falability of it all. The prejudice, egos and über testosterone bs that dominates such ventures. A good read and maximum respect for putting himself through it - whatever the motivation.