Angry White Pyjamas: A Scrawny Oxford Poet Takes Lessons From The Tokyo Riot Police [Paperback]

Robert Twigger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 2000

Adrift in Tokyo, translating obscene rap lyrics for giggling Japanese high school girls,, "thirtynothing" Robert Twigger comes to a revelation about himself: He has never been fit nor brave. Guided by his roommates, Fat Frank and Chris, he sets out to cleanse his body and mind. Not knowing his fist from his elbow, the author is drawn into the world of Japanese martial arts, joining the Tokyo Riot Police on their yearlong, brutally demanding course of budo training, where any ascetic motivation soon comes up against bloodstained "white pyjamas" and fractured collarbones. In Angry White Pyjamas, Twigger blends, the ancient with the modern--the ultratraditionalism, ritual, and violence of the dojo (training academy) with the shopping malls, nightclubs, and scenes of everyday Tokyo life in the 1990s--to provide a brilliant, bizarre glimpse of life in contemporary Japan.

Adrift in Tokyo, "thirtynothing" Robert Twigger came to a revelation about himself: He had never been fit or brave. Guided by his roommates, he set out to cleanse his body and mind. Not knowing his fist from his elbow, the author is sucked into the world of Japanese martial arts and joins the Tokyo Riot Police on their year-long, brutally demanding course of budo training, where any ascetic motivation soon comes up against blood-stained "white pyjamas" and fractured collarbones. In this entertaining book, Twigger blends the ancient with the modern--the ultratraditionalism, ritual, and violence of the "dojo" (training academy) with the shopping malls, nightclubs, and scenes of everyday Tokyo life in the 1990s--to provide a brilliant, bizarre glimpse of contemporary Japan.Adrift in Tokyo, "thirtynothing" Robert Twigger came to a revelation about himself: He had never been fit or brave. Guided by his roommates, he set out to cleanse his body and mind. Not knowing his fist from his elbow, the author is sucked into the world of Japanese martial arts and joins the Tokyo Riot Police on their year-long, brutally demanding course of budo training, where any ascetic motivation soon comes up against blood-stained "white pyjamas" and fractured collarbones. In this entertaining book, Twigger blends the ancient with the modern--the ultratraditionalism, ritual, and violence of the "dojo" (training academy) with the shopping malls, nightclubs, and scenes of everyday Tokyo life in the 1990s--to provide a brilliant, bizarre glimpse of contemporary Japan.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A book of unexpected brilliance . . . subtle, funny, stimulating and original." -- Patrick French

"A frantic, very funny, urban quest." -- -- Simon Garfield, Mail on Sunday

"His fine eye for eccentricities makes this an entertaining travelogue." -- The Observer

About the Author

Robert Twigger, the author of Angry White Pyjamas and Big Snake, was born in 1964 and educated at Oxford, where he won the Newdigate Poetry Prize. In 1991 he went to Japan, studied traditional martial arts, and completed the course for the Tokyo riot police. In 1996 Twigger trained as a bullfighter in Spain, went looking for bona fide zombies in Haiti, and reported for the Daily Telegraph on chain gangs in Arizona. In 1997 he spent four months in Indonesia, attempting to capture the longest snake in the world. After many setbacks and adventures, his team succeeded in capturing a python twenty-six feet long -- almost certainly a world record for a snake currently in captivity. In addition to writing books, he is a regular contributor to Esquire, Maxim, the Daily Telegraph, and the Financial Times. He lives in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: It Books (March 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688175376
• ISBN-13: 978-0688175375
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #396,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye of the Budoka, January 11, 2005

By 

Erik Olson "Seeker Reviews" (Ridgefield, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Angry White Pyjamas: A Scrawny Oxford Poet Takes Lessons From The Tokyo Riot Police (Paperback)

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.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars oddly inspirational, February 7, 2002

By 

melodius (Brussels Belgium) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angry White Pyjamas: A Scrawny Oxford Poet Takes Lessons From The Tokyo Riot Police (Paperback)

I am a dedicated and even somewhat obsessive student of budo and especially aikido. Still, this irreverent book is one of my favourites. One of the reviewers here wrote that it's "oddly inspirational"; I couldn't agree more.

Why "oddly" ? Well, it's a honest and a funny book. As you might have noticed from some of the angrier reviews, Twigger will not feed you the urban legends and "samurai-er than thou" stories which - unfortunately - many people with an interest in martial arts seem to relish. No miraculous stories about the wonders of ki here ! No Sensei worship ! I laughed my head off when I read about Twigger's and his friends' joy when the founder of their dojo dies during a period of particularly gruelling lessons (suwari-waza, ouch !) and their dojo has to close for a few days, giving them the necessary time to nurse their knees back to health. For the lay-person's benefit, in the martial arts world, this kind of attitude is the pinnacle of heresy and expresses a complete lack of "the right attitude". The portrayal of some of the people Twigger trains with isn't very flattering, but let's face it, we all know the martial arts world has its fair share of unadjusted people and nutcases. Twigger isn't particularly flattering about himself and his friends either, by the way.

I also found Twigger's description of Japanese society and mores interesting. If you're worried by one of the other reviewers statement that Twigger is a racist and a homophobe, don't worry, it's just PC hysteria.

What is inspirational about this book is that it shows what real training is like. It's hard work. It's frustrating. You quickly have to understand you're not Bruce Lee (well, I'm not, and Twigger isn't either), and it takes much energy to try to (slowly) become better instead of just giving up and finding a pursuit more adapted to your genius. You have to work with and even learn from other people whom you might not always totally like and respect. Basically, you have to accept that nothing is perfect in the real world, not you, not your partners, not even Sensei, and still strive for perfection. I think that message is much more valuable than any martial arts fairytale.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great description of one person's Japanese experience, February 1, 2002

By 

Maggie the Lizard Tamer (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angry White Pyjamas: A Scrawny Oxford Poet Takes Lessons From The Tokyo Riot Police (Paperback)

So it may not be the most accurate description of the Japanese culture, so what? Angry White Pyjamas is an excellent account of one person's somewhat extreme experience of Japan.

The author of the book, Robert Twigger, an awarded poet from England goes to Japan as means of escaping the boring corporate reality. In Japan he hopes to find that his life means something. He begins his experience as an Engish teacher in Japan. Shortly afterwards, his job is reduced to a part-time, one day per week position. Poor and disilusioned, living in a cheap apartment with a couple of other random gajins, he finally decides to discover the value of self by signing up for a course in martial arts.

Once a member of a dojo, he realizes that he wants to push himself to the extreme limit of his mental and physical ability. As a result, he signs up for the super-ultra-tough course, usually taken by candidates for the Tokyo riot police.

Insanity ensues as he learns martial arts every day for almost 11 months amongst pain, sweat, complaining of fellow students, and constant cultural faux pas.

Personally, I'm not sure how accurate is Twigger's descriptionon of the fighting, the food, and the cultural differences, but one must admit that whatever he writes, it is written in the most excellent style. Twigger keeps an eye out for details in the Japanese lifestyles and describes them from the point of view of an overly enthusiastic yet naive foreigner.

The account of the training keeps the reader constantly wondering whether Twigger will be able to finish the course. After all, the pain, the unfriendliness, and seemintly little payback seem overwhelming.

This book is not only for martial arts fans nor fans of the Japanese culture. I am only slightly interested in these topics, however, I found the book very engaging. It may not be accurate, but it is an excellent piece of literature, clever, and highly entertaining.