talking summarization





Splog Filter



newsplus summary

ping 歸納

reviewer













Internet   News   animation   retail sales   Sport   Movie   Video Game   Entertainment   Politics   Eats   Music   Drama   Hardware   Software   Health   japanese culture   Technology   automobile   Business   Fashion   Books   Manga   Broadcast   Cooking   electronics   Leisure   Science   Locality   Phrase   Beauty   Nature   Fancy   Comedy   Avocation   Education   Gamble   Art   Livelihood  

Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan




  • Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) Or , in Jake Adelstein's case , it doesn't - - thankfully , because American readers now finally have access to a book that chronicles the real Japan , free of stereotypes and even more well-rounded and nuanced as any of the ' foreigner abroad ' books we are accustomed to reading from Americans who head off to the more culturally-familiar terrain of Europe . Full disclosure : I lived in Tokyo for parts of early 80s before finally leaving in 1985 , before Adelstein arrived to study at Sophia University . Like him , I began my journalistic career there , although it was as a copy editor at the English-language Japan Times rather than as a reporter for a Japanese daily . Even in 1985 , being a ' gaijin ' ( foreigner ) and a female would have put paid to any such plans , even if my decidedly unfluent Japanese hadn't . Adelstein , however , benefited from the passage of time , his language skills and his gender and landed a job at the Yomiuri newspaper , one of the country's largest . Automatically an unusual person in Japan's extraordinarily homogenous society ( at the time I lived there , at least , there was no space on a driver's license for hair or eye color - - because it was assumed that all would be the same . . . ) , Adelstein ended up covering another kind group of misfits in Japan : the country's yakuza , or organized criminals . It's a fascinating world , part of Japanese popular culture as much as the Mafia is here , and yet virtually unrecognized outside of the country . Along with writing about the yakuza , Adelstein does a fabulous job of raising the curtain on the lives of ordinary Japanese , finally debunking all the stereotypes . Japanese men gawk at the pictures in Madonna's Sex ; the male reporters openly read porn magazines in the workspace . Social life revolves around getting drunk ; the job of a police reporter like Adelstein includes paying evening calls to the homes of his detective friends . Adelstein shows how phenomena like the hostess clubs are fueled by alienation , boredom and loneliness . That said , this is a very uneven book . The first half , in particular , seems to be the story of a foreigner who gets himself a job at a Japanese newspaper , thinks to himself , wow , this is cool and different and maybe I'll write a book about it , too , because not many people have done what I've done . The glimpse behind the scenes of a Japanese newspaper were interesting enough , but after a while the long paragraphs , one after another , of people talking became wearying . So did Adelstein's self-congratulatory air : Getting words of praise from a colleague is a good feeling ; another story is a nice little scoop , or our investigative reporting had the gratifying result of spurring the Saitama police into arresting the people responsible for the bank failure . Yawn . And I could have done without the insights into his sex life , as when he leaves his ' girlfriend ' hanging on in the love hotel room they have rented by the hour in order to deal with an editor . Honorable me , I knew I owed her . So I turned my beeper off for the first time in months . At times , he sounds almost smug . And yet , just as I was about to give up on the book , it took off and turned into an extraordinary chronicle , revealing in the process an entirely different narrator , someone passionate and thoughtful enough about the world he sees around him to be willing to stand up and be counted . He becomes the nail that sticks up and must be hammered down , in the Japanese saying used of people who place their independent thoughts above smooth social relationships . And the people who wanted to do the hammering were Japan's yakuza , as Adelstein's beat takes him into an investigation of sexual slavery and abuse in Japan's hostess bars , ' soaplands ' and brothels . What had been almost flippant before ( see Jake Adelstein as a male host ! ) becomes deadly serious , and I ended up reading late into the night to discover what happened , just as I would have done with a great thriller . The catch , of course , is that the crimes and abuses committed by the yakuza , for which the police are unable or unwilling to prosecute them , were and remain real . Adelstein points out the difficulty of prosecuting human trafficking offenses in a country where the victims are promptly deported - - and then the police and law enforcement officials point out that they have no complaining witnesses ! He points to the impact of the casual racism and sexism on law enforcement , from attitudes to Koreans of Japanese descent to the women who arrive in Japan to work as hostesses . And ultimately , he puts his life on the line - - literally - - in an effort to expose some of these abuses . The heroes of Adelstein's book come from across the board - - this is not smart gaijin hero versus thick-witted racist Japanese , or evil Yakuza versus courageous journalists . Some of the most poignant and heartfelt parts of this ultimately very moving book are those devoted to one of his closest friends , a Japanese police detective , and to an Australian bar girl who becomes a friend of sorts . And ultimately Adelstein sheds that self-satisfied foreigner abroad persona , recognizing that his all-too-human failures as a person and a reporter meant that I'd endangered every person I cared about , liked , loved , or simply knew . ( They had become ) potential leverage for ( the yakuza target of his investigations ) who had no qualms about using people like cannon fodder . It's a cry from the heart , and the story of Adelstein's investigations and efforts to get his worked published make this book a ' must read ' . I'd like to think that the Japanese fascination with what other nations think about them would mean that this book will be translated into Japanese and have a wide audience there . Given the difficulty Adelstein had in finding a Japanese publisher for his journalistic scoops about the yakuza's worst crimes , I'm not sure it will happen . Moreover , the home truths that Adelstein tells - - from a position inside Japanese society , not from the usual gaijin perspective of having one foot in Tokyo's expat community - - about everything from the ugly realities underlying the hostess bar culture and the treatment of a female fellow reporter and friend at the Yomiuri , to the horrors of human trafficking , may prove hard for them to digest . In any event , it's a fascinating read that I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in Japan or thinking of going to live or work there . A few other recommendations : For more insight into the dysfunctional part of Japanese society ( if not the criminal element ) , try Shutting Out the Sun : How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation ( Vintage Departures ) or Alex Kerr's Dogs and Demons : Tales from the Dark Side of Japan . Some dark comedy and brilliant film-making comes from Juzo Itami , who , it appears , may have been murdered by yakuza rather than committing suicide . Many probably are familiar with Tampopo ; just as good , IMO , is A Taxing Woman ; the sequel , A Taxing Woman's Return , is still available only on VHS . Both are great and hilarious examples of a crusading tax inspector battling her own bureaucracy and the criminal elements who happen to be evading their taxes . I can't recommend either film strongly enough .
    • 001 4  with a pitcher of beer , sort of watching the game . A novelist and a reporter sit down on either side of you . They want to make you a deal : they get to have some of your beer and in exchange , each of them will take turns telling you incredibly good stories . At first you're a little worried because , well , who are these guys drinking your beer ? Within a couple minutes , you are not worried anymore . You are ordering another pitcher . And then another one . These guys are two of the best storytellers you've ever met , and the drunker they get , the more they appear to be trying to outdo each other . The stories they are telling you are as engaging as they are strange and unbelievable . Now imagine that both of these guys , the novelist and the reporter , are actually the same guy , and the stories they are telling are all true . That's what reading this book is like . The subject matter is the obvious initial draw to this book . Mr . Adelstein's relays his years of experience as a reporter for the Yomiuri Shinbun with efficiency , clarity and wit , while at the same time managing to convey some of the structure and texture of a number of complex institutions and sub-cultures ( the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department , other prefectural police departments in Japan , crime reporters for the Yomiuri and , of course , the yakuza ) . Beyond the fascinating subject matter , however , I could and would and will recommend this book solely for the quality of writing . Mr . Adelstein works expertly at the level of the sentence and the vignette . He doesn't accumulate detail , but instead precisely curates it , giving just enough to put you right there with him . Any less detail and the narrative would be flat , lifeless . Any more detail would drag it down , make it feel like a reading assignment . Instead , Mr . Adelstein's prose has a tactile quality to it . It is measured and balanced and paced in such a way that you live the story with him . I would buy this storyteller an ongoing supply of beer just to keep listening to him tell stories .
    • 002 4  I wasn't sure what to expect from this book - - most stories about Westerners moving to Japan are simple , ego-driven pieces of finding yourself trash . I gotta say , though , that Tokyo Vice , while it might have fallen into this category , DOESN'T . Jake Adelstein knows his stuff , and the audience can figure that out in the first lines . This is no ohmygosh-Japan-is-different-because-everyone-is-ASIAN-and-speaks-JAPANESE ! Instead , this is layer upon layer of real information , texture that I don't think anyone could pick up unless they were actually immersed in a culture , and written from a place far past the wide-eyed excitement of a first-time visitor . The book has an interesting , engaging narrative , that stands on its own even without all the depth of knowledge the author brings . And , though the subject seems like it's straight out of fiction , it's not . I know more about the Japanese newspaper industry , the Tokyo Police Department , and the seedier aspects of life in Japan now than I ever have . And that's saying something . Frankly , this book could have been a piece of garden variety , semi-racist , often lurid , pulp fiction . Instead , it's a thoughtful look back on an experience no one else on this earth has had . Read it .
    • 003 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) Or , in Jake Adelstein's case , it doesn't - - thankfully , because American readers now finally have access to a book that chronicles the real Japan , free of stereotypes and even more well-rounded and nuanced as any of the ' foreigner abroad ' books we are accustomed to reading from Americans who head off to the more culturally-familiar terrain of Europe . Full disclosure : I lived in Tokyo for parts of early 80s before finally leaving in 1985 , before Adelstein arrived to study at Sophia University . Like him , I began my journalistic career there , although it was as a copy editor at the English-language Japan Times rather than as a reporter for a Japanese daily . Even in 1985 , being a ' gaijin ' ( foreigner ) and a female would have put paid to any such plans , even if my decidedly unfluent Japanese hadn't . Adelstein , however , benefited from the passage of time , his language skills and his gender and landed a job at the Yomiuri newspaper , one of the country's largest . Automatically an unusual person in Japan's extraordinarily homogenous society ( at the time I lived there , at least , there was no space on a driver's license for hair or eye color - - because it was assumed that all would be the same . . . ) , Adelstein ended up covering another kind group of misfits in Japan : the country's yakuza , or organized criminals . It's a fascinating world , part of Japanese popular culture as much as the Mafia is here , and yet virtually unrecognized outside of the country . Along with writing about the yakuza , Adelstein does a fabulous job of raising the curtain on the lives of ordinary Japanese , finally debunking all the stereotypes . Japanese men gawk at the pictures in Madonna's Sex ; the male reporters openly read porn magazines in the workspace . Social life revolves around getting drunk ; the job of a police reporter like Adelstein includes paying evening calls to the homes of his detective friends . Adelstein shows how phenomena like the hostess clubs are fueled by alienation , boredom and loneliness . That said , this is a very uneven book . The first half , in particular , seems to be the story of a foreigner who gets himself a job at a Japanese newspaper , thinks to himself , wow , this is cool and different and maybe I'll write a book about it , too , because not many people have done what I've done . The glimpse behind the scenes of a Japanese newspaper were interesting enough , but after a while the long paragraphs , one after another , of people talking became wearying . So did Adelstein's self-congratulatory air : Getting words of praise from a colleague is a good feeling ; another story is a nice little scoop , or our investigative reporting had the gratifying result of spurring the Saitama police into arresting the people responsible for the bank failure . Yawn . And I could have done without the insights into his sex life , as when he leaves his ' girlfriend ' hanging on in the love hotel room they have rented by the hour in order to deal with an editor . Honorable me , I knew I owed her . So I turned my beeper off for the first time in months . At times , he sounds almost smug . And yet , just as I was about to give up on the book , it took off and turned into an extraordinary chronicle , revealing in the process an entirely different narrator , someone passionate and thoughtful enough about the world he sees around him to be willing to stand up and be counted . He becomes the nail that sticks up and must be hammered down , in the Japanese saying used of people who place their independent thoughts above smooth social relationships . And the people who wanted to do the hammering were Japan's yakuza , as Adelstein's beat takes him into an investigation of sexual slavery and abuse in Japan's hostess bars , ' soaplands ' and brothels . What had been almost flippant before ( see Jake Adelstein as a male host ! ) becomes deadly serious , and I ended up reading late into the night to discover what happened , just as I would have done with a great thriller . The catch , of course , is that the crimes and abuses committed by the yakuza , for which the police are unable or unwilling to prosecute them , were and remain real . Adelstein points out the difficulty of prosecuting human trafficking offenses in a country where the victims are promptly deported - - and then the police and law enforcement officials point out that they have no complaining witnesses ! He points to the impact of the casual racism and sexism on law enforcement , from attitudes to Koreans of Japanese descent to the women who arrive in Japan to work as hostesses . And ultimately , he puts his life on the line - - literally - - in an effort to expose some of these abuses . The heroes of Adelstein's book come from across the board - - this is not smart gaijin hero versus thick-witted racist Japanese , or evil Yakuza versus courageous journalists . Some of the most poignant and heartfelt parts of this ultimately very moving book are those devoted to one of his closest friends , a Japanese police detective , and to an Australian bar girl who becomes a friend of sorts . And ultimately Adelstein sheds that self-satisfied foreigner abroad persona , recognizing that his all-too-human failures as a person and a reporter meant that I'd endangered every person I cared about , liked , loved , or simply knew . ( They had become ) potential leverage for ( the yakuza target of his investigations ) who had no qualms about using people like cannon fodder . It's a cry from the heart , and the story of Adelstein's investigations and efforts to get his worked published make this book a ' must read ' . I'd like to think that the Japanese fascination with what other nations think about them would mean that this book will be translated into Japanese and have a wide audience there . Given the difficulty Adelstein had in finding a Japanese publisher for his journalistic scoops about the yakuza's worst crimes , I'm not sure it will happen . Moreover , the home truths that Adelstein tells - - from a position inside Japanese society , not from the usual gaijin perspective of having one foot in Tokyo's expat community - - about everything from the ugly realities underlying the hostess bar culture and the treatment of a female fellow reporter and friend at the Yomiuri , to the horrors of human trafficking , may prove hard for them to digest . In any event , it's a fascinating read that I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in Japan or thinking of going to live or work there . A few other recommendations : For more insight into the dysfunctional part of Japanese society ( if not the criminal element ) , try Shutting Out the Sun : How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation ( Vintage Departures ) or Alex Kerr's Dogs and Demons : Tales from the Dark Side of Japan . Some dark comedy and brilliant film-making comes from Juzo Itami , who , it appears , may have been murdered by yakuza rather than committing suicide . Many probably are familiar with Tampopo ; just as good , IMO , is A Taxing Woman ; the sequel , A Taxing Woman's Return , is still available only on VHS . Both are great and hilarious examples of a crusading tax inspector battling her own bureaucracy and the criminal elements who happen to be evading their taxes . I can't recommend either film strongly enough .
    • 004 4  Or , in Jake Adelstein's case , it doesn't - - thankfully , because American readers now finally have access to a book that chronicles the real Japan , free of stereotypes and even more well-rounded and nuanced as any of the ' foreigner abroad ' books we are accustomed to reading from Americans who head off to the more culturally-familiar terrain of Europe . Full disclosure : I lived in Tokyo for parts of early 80s before finally leaving in 1985 , before Adelstein arrived to study at Sophia University . Like him , I began my journalistic career there , although it was as a copy editor at the English-language Japan Times rather than as a reporter for a Japanese daily . Even in 1985 , being a ' gaijin ' ( foreigner ) and a female would have put paid to any such plans , even if my decidedly unfluent Japanese hadn't . Adelstein , however , benefited from the passage of time , his language skills and his gender and landed a job at the Yomiuri newspaper , one of the country's largest . Automatically an unusual person in Japan's extraordinarily homogenous society ( at the time I lived there , at least , there was no space on a driver's license for hair or eye color - - because it was assumed that all would be the same . . . ) , Adelstein ended up covering another kind group of misfits in Japan : the country's yakuza , or organized criminals . It's a fascinating world , part of Japanese popular culture as much as the Mafia is here , and yet virtually unrecognized outside of the country . Along with writing about the yakuza , Adelstein does a fabulous job of raising the curtain on the lives of ordinary Japanese , finally debunking all the stereotypes . Japanese men gawk at the pictures in Madonna's Sex ; the male reporters openly read porn magazines in the workspace . Social life revolves around getting drunk ; the job of a police reporter like Adelstein includes paying evening calls to the homes of his detective friends . Adelstein shows how phenomena like the hostess clubs are fueled by alienation , boredom and loneliness . That said , this is a very uneven book . The first half , in particular , seems to be the story of a foreigner who gets himself a job at a Japanese newspaper , thinks to himself , wow , this is cool and different and maybe I'll write a book about it , too , because not many people have done what I've done . The glimpse behind the scenes of a Japanese newspaper were interesting enough , but after a while the long paragraphs , one after another , of people talking became wearying . So did Adelstein's self-congratulatory air : Getting words of praise from a colleague is a good feeling ; another story is a nice little scoop , or our investigative reporting had the gratifying result of spurring the Saitama police into arresting the people responsible for the bank failure . Yawn . And I could have done without the insights into his sex life , as when he leaves his ' girlfriend ' hanging on in the love hotel room they have rented by the hour in order to deal with an editor . Honorable me , I knew I owed her . So I turned my beeper off for the first time in months . At times , he sounds almost smug . And yet , just as I was about to give up on the book , it took off and turned into an extraordinary chronicle , revealing in the process an entirely different narrator , someone passionate and thoughtful enough about the world he sees around him to be willing to stand up and be counted . He becomes the nail that sticks up and must be hammered down , in the Japanese saying used of people who place their independent thoughts above smooth social relationships . And the people who wanted to do the hammering were Japan's yakuza , as Adelstein's beat takes him into an investigation of sexual slavery and abuse in Japan's hostess bars , ' soaplands ' and brothels . What had been almost flippant before ( see Jake Adelstein as a male host ! ) becomes deadly serious , and I ended up reading late into the night to discover what happened , just as I would have done with a great thriller . The catch , of course , is that the crimes and abuses committed by the yakuza , for which the police are unable or unwilling to prosecute them , were and remain real . Adelstein points out the difficulty of prosecuting human trafficking offenses in a country where the victims are promptly deported - - and then the police and law enforcement officials point out that they have no complaining witnesses ! He points to the impact of the casual racism and sexism on law enforcement , from attitudes to Koreans of Japanese descent to the women who arrive in Japan to work as hostesses . And ultimately , he puts his life on the line - - literally - - in an effort to expose some of these abuses . The heroes of Adelstein's book come from across the board - - this is not smart gaijin hero versus thick-witted racist Japanese , or evil Yakuza versus courageous journalists . Some of the most poignant and heartfelt parts of this ultimately very moving book are those devoted to one of his closest friends , a Japanese police detective , and to an Australian bar girl who becomes a friend of sorts . And ultimately Adelstein sheds that self-satisfied foreigner abroad persona , recognizing that his all-too-human failures as a person and a reporter meant that I'd endangered every person I cared about , liked , loved , or simply knew . ( They had become ) potential leverage for ( the yakuza target of his investigations ) who had no qualms about using people like cannon fodder . It's a cry from the heart , and the story of Adelstein's investigations and efforts to get his worked published make this book a ' must read ' . I'd like to think that the Japanese fascination with what other nations think about them would mean that this book will be translated into Japanese and have a wide audience there . Given the difficulty Adelstein had in finding a Japanese publisher for his journalistic scoops about the yakuza's worst crimes , I'm not sure it will happen . Moreover , the home truths that Adelstein tells - - from a position inside Japanese society , not from the usual gaijin perspective of having one foot in Tokyo's expat community - - about everything from the ugly realities underlying the hostess bar culture and the treatment of a female fellow reporter and friend at the Yomiuri , to the horrors of human trafficking , may prove hard for them to digest . In any event , it's a fascinating read that I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in Japan or thinking of going to live or work there . A few other recommendations : For more insight into the dysfunctional part of Japanese society ( if not the criminal element ) , try Shutting Out the Sun : How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation ( Vintage Departures ) or Alex Kerr's Dogs and Demons : Tales from the Dark Side of Japan . Some dark comedy and brilliant film-making comes from Juzo Itami , who , it appears , may have been murdered by yakuza rather than committing suicide . Many probably are familiar with Tampopo ; just as good , IMO , is A Taxing Woman ; the sequel , A Taxing Woman's Return , is still available only on VHS . Both are great and hilarious examples of a crusading tax inspector battling her own bureaucracy and the criminal elements who happen to be evading their taxes . I can't recommend either film strongly enough .
    • 005 4  The book was pretty great . It was really interesting to read about a Midwestern Jew who moves to Japan and assimilates himself into the culture so well . It's hilarious reading about how he can never blend in , even though it would be advantageous for an investigative report . I loved reading about the cultural differences and seeing how business is done in Japan . Life , love and the perception of men is interesting , especially compared to America . The brotherhood that was shown between Jake and his friends was endearing . These reporters all have each others backs . The friendships that were formed were the best part of the story . You could tell that Jake really cared about these people . I don't know if I could give it a better compliment than to call it gritty and real . Well written and fun to read .
    • 006 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) Japan is not entirely the land of Zen gardens and precision cameras as most Americans born after WWII tend to believe . It is a nation with a major dark side , openly racist and sexist , with a wide public tolerance of perversions such as child pornography . Japanese ' salarymen ' in suits stand on their lunch hour reading comic books about teenage schoolgirls . This is also the country that was equalled only by Nazi Germany in their wartime cruelties against civilians and prisoners . But the Japanese above all believe in social cohesion , and these regrettable parts of human behavior are regarded as inevitable , so why not provide for them in a socially integrated way ? Thus it is not surprising that organized crime is considered just another part of daily life , with office buildings and business cards ( ! ) for the so-called yakuza . Tokyo Vice is the autobiographical story of Jake Adelstein , a middle-class boy from the American Midwest who grew up attracted to Japanese culture and language , and how he learned about all this first hand . Adelstein relocated to Japan in his teens to study Buddhism and go to college , and stayed . Amazingly , he eventually managed to be hired as a reporter for the largest Japanese daily newspaper , writing and working entirely in the Japanese language for twelve years . He served on the crime beat , becoming an expert on the seamy underside of Japanese life . Eventually however , Adelstein went beyond his objective reporter role and stood up as an advocate and crusader , especially on behalf of foreign women whom he discovered being trafficked into sexual slavery in Japan . He was appalled to find that these crimes were ignored by the Japanese establishment ; the victims were women , prostitutes and foreigners and therefore triply of no importance . This also led him to understand how organized crime works in Japan , including evidence of corruption at high levels in the government . His crusade has had some effect ; through investigative journalism and contacts with the US government he eventually shamed Japan into beginning to respond to these problems . Also Adelstein uncovered the story of top yakuza who found ways to receive needed liver transplants at American hospitals ahead of long waiting lists - an investigation which led to him and his family receiving serious death threats . It's not a pretty story . The most upsetting episode concerns a beautiful Australian woman working as a prostitute in Tokyo who became a close friend and informant of Adelstein . When she attempted to help him investigate the trafficking , she disappeared - with credible evidence she was tortured to death by the yakusa . The book is about fairly recent events so we cannot expect the full story . Nevertheless it disturbed me that Adelstein seems not to fully accept that this was the direct result of his association with her . A riveting story but not well written . There are tedious dialogs , off sentences , many cliches . Puzzling because Adelstein is a professional writer ; in May of 2008 he published a straightforward essay in the Washington Post ( still on the Internet ) summarizing the story succintly . But this book length version has been turned into something like a Mickey Spillane novel-noir , with way too many tedious conversations with Japanese cops smoking way too many cigarettes . Perhaps the author received some bad advice from his publisher and editors , who wanted him to jazz up his account with more ' vivid ' personalities ? I also would have appreciated more in the way of third party context - quotes from the Japanese newspaper articles or government documentation which would show some reality besides the author's . Finally , Adelstein has a peculiar , almost coy attitude in writing about one key element - himself . Even though his personal life is intertwined with the story at every level , he leaves out more than he tells . He marries a Japanese woman but does not talk about her or how they met . He becomes personally involved with his informants but does not explain . It is understandable for him to protect his sources , but I liked it less when he seemed to be protecting himself . Bottom line : A gripping insight into contemporary Japan . One must admire Adelstein for his courage in acting on his outrage and for his ongoing campaign to shine a light on abuses in Japanese society . But the book could have been more cleanly written and the author could have been more open about his personal saga .
    • 007 4  Japan is not entirely the land of Zen gardens and precision cameras as most Americans born after WWII tend to believe . It is a nation with a major dark side , openly racist and sexist , with a wide public tolerance of perversions such as child pornography . Japanese ' salarymen ' in suits stand on their lunch hour reading comic books about teenage schoolgirls . This is also the country that was equalled only by Nazi Germany in their wartime cruelties against civilians and prisoners . But the Japanese above all believe in social cohesion , and these regrettable parts of human behavior are regarded as inevitable , so why not provide for them in a socially integrated way ? Thus it is not surprising that organized crime is considered just another part of daily life , with office buildings and business cards ( ! ) for the so-called yakuza . Tokyo Vice is the autobiographical story of Jake Adelstein , a middle-class boy from the American Midwest who grew up attracted to Japanese culture and language , and how he learned about all this first hand . Adelstein relocated to Japan in his teens to study Buddhism and go to college , and stayed . Amazingly , he eventually managed to be hired as a reporter for the largest Japanese daily newspaper , writing and working entirely in the Japanese language for twelve years . He served on the crime beat , becoming an expert on the seamy underside of Japanese life . Eventually however , Adelstein went beyond his objective reporter role and stood up as an advocate and crusader , especially on behalf of foreign women whom he discovered being trafficked into sexual slavery in Japan . He was appalled to find that these crimes were ignored by the Japanese establishment ; the victims were women , prostitutes and foreigners and therefore triply of no importance . This also led him to understand how organized crime works in Japan , including evidence of corruption at high levels in the government . His crusade has had some effect ; through investigative journalism and contacts with the US government he eventually shamed Japan into beginning to respond to these problems . Also Adelstein uncovered the story of top yakuza who found ways to receive needed liver transplants at American hospitals ahead of long waiting lists - an investigation which led to him and his family receiving serious death threats . It's not a pretty story . The most upsetting episode concerns a beautiful Australian woman working as a prostitute in Tokyo who became a close friend and informant of Adelstein . When she attempted to help him investigate the trafficking , she disappeared - with credible evidence she was tortured to death by the yakusa . The book is about fairly recent events so we cannot expect the full story . Nevertheless it disturbed me that Adelstein seems not to fully accept that this was the direct result of his association with her . A riveting story but not well written . There are tedious dialogs , off sentences , many cliches . Puzzling because Adelstein is a professional writer ; in May of 2008 he published a straightforward essay in the Washington Post ( still on the Internet ) summarizing the story succintly . But this book length version has been turned into something like a Mickey Spillane novel-noir , with way too many tedious conversations with Japanese cops smoking way too many cigarettes . Perhaps the author received some bad advice from his publisher and editors , who wanted him to jazz up his account with more ' vivid ' personalities ? I also would have appreciated more in the way of third party context - quotes from the Japanese newspaper articles or government documentation which would show some reality besides the author's . Finally , Adelstein has a peculiar , almost coy attitude in writing about one key element - himself . Even though his personal life is intertwined with the story at every level , he leaves out more than he tells . He marries a Japanese woman but does not talk about her or how they met . He becomes personally involved with his informants but does not explain . It is understandable for him to protect his sources , but I liked it less when he seemed to be protecting himself . Bottom line : A gripping insight into contemporary Japan . One must admire Adelstein for his courage in acting on his outrage and for his ongoing campaign to shine a light on abuses in Japanese society . But the book could have been more cleanly written and the author could have been more open about his personal saga .
    • 008 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) Jakes ability to express himself is a rare gift that few are given . He often mentioned that grace and agility did not come naturally . As a freshman in college in the midwest , he fell two stories down an open elevator shaft . This resulted in a few injured bones and a mild concussion . The result was a loss of short term memory . At the time he was enrolled in Japanese at the University of Missouri . His Japanese memory was gone , but soon recovered with the help of a tutor . Tokyo Vice , not only explains how he was able to learn to read , write , and speak Japanese , but to use it as a reporter . Although somewhat biased , it was hard to put down the book . His personal stories and reporting revealed things that even a mother doesnt want to know . Jakes mother
    • 009 4  Jakes ability to express himself is a rare gift that few are given . He often mentioned that grace and agility did not come naturally . As a freshman in college in the midwest , he fell two stories down an open elevator shaft . This resulted in a few injured bones and a mild concussion . The result was a loss of short term memory . At the time he was enrolled in Japanese at the University of Missouri . His Japanese memory was gone , but soon recovered with the help of a tutor . Tokyo Vice , not only explains how he was able to learn to read , write , and speak Japanese , but to use it as a reporter . Although somewhat biased , it was hard to put down the book . His personal stories and reporting revealed things that even a mother doesnt want to know . Jakes mother
    • 010 4  Jake Adelstein has a very special story to tell . He worked for Japan's biggest daily newspaper as a crime reporter , which is some feat in a country where the idea of cultural and racial essentialism thrives . The book is written in a slightly hardboiled reporter style , and there are lots of small and amusing details just waiting to be noticed . Adelstein avoids the usual trappings of gaijin writing about Japan , and includes a lot of the things that every ex-pat living in Japan moans about , but in a good way . Really good book , and very recommended if you have interest in real crime stories , journalism or Japanese society .
    • 011 4  I would have considered myself well read and well . . . for lack of better terms , well versed in the American Mafia lit . scene ( if there is such a thing ) by reading the likes of books such as Five Families by Selwyn Raab and then being a huge , ( understatement ) HUGE connoisseur of all things Godfather movie types and of course the HBO series The Sopranos . Yet , I know little or did know little about similar scenes around the world , until now . Adelstein's dislodging of my perception of this world is masterful at best . His , at times , excruciating detail about his own experience , starting with scene one to the last page , quite frankly , scares me . She was found faceup , both hands spread out . She was wearing dark blue overalls with a striped blouse . She was wearing shoes and socks . ( Another telling sign : If she didn't have her shoes and socks on - - and if they weren't part of the crime scene - - that opened up the possibility of a double suicide attempt in which her partner chickened out . The reason : typically Japanese remove their socks and shoes before killing themselves . . . ) I can almost see her in her death , in a complete light . All I can say is that I only thing I can picture now is his version of Japan . The underground , the death , the murderous stares . Adelstein , as seen in the para . above , also serves up a heaping pile of Japanese culture lessons for us who have always envisioned it as this Hello Kitty / gobbs of Sushi rolls thrown our way . The same version that made me long to visit there . But I suppose this is what great writers do . They infiltrate your reality with the either fictional or actual reality . Adelstein's vice grip is well placed around my senses throughout . Another compelling point of his work is the use of candid humor as if he , personally , was addressing me in all things police tactic . Reference the Memo to Whom It may Concern on page 69 . These tidbits of real information , told in a relatively easy to understand style for the obsessive true crime layman like myself , are gems . Finding the balance between what he went through and then to get real information about the job , is not only rare , but refreshing and breaks , in just the right place , the tension he's crafted throughout . Kudos to Adelstein for placing a great read in my hands . I would recommend this to anyone who relishes the surreal as if it were real and vice versa . He does a knock out job at both . ~ Cicily Janus
    • 012 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) This is how great Twitter can be : when I was just 20 pages into Tokyo Vice , I posted this update : Jake Adelstein's TOKYO VICE makes me want to be yakuza He responded the next day with : @ calebjross It's supposed to have the opposite effect . : ) Considering that this exchange was completely unanticipated , I was quite surprised by the direct line of contact with the author . I anticipated the exchange ending there . But , then I finished the book , and I realized how insulting my first comment could have appeared . Tokyo Vice is such an amazing story , one that , though filed under true crime touches on memoir . Adelstein's position as a reporter with the unique opportunity to out certain immoral ( to say the least ) yakuza behavior , bleeds into his personal life in deeply affecting ways . As soon as I finished the book , I posted again on Twitter : @ jakeadelstein I must apologize for my earlier statement of wanting to be yakuza . I just finished TOKYO VICE . Incredible story , sir . And he came back with : @ calebjross Apology accepted . : ) Such a gentleman . Tokyo Vice goes highly recommended .
    • 013 4  This is how great Twitter can be : when I was just 20 pages into Tokyo Vice , I posted this update : Jake Adelstein's TOKYO VICE makes me want to be yakuza He responded the next day with : @ calebjross It's supposed to have the opposite effect . : ) Considering that this exchange was completely unanticipated , I was quite surprised by the direct line of contact with the author . I anticipated the exchange ending there . But , then I finished the book , and I realized how insulting my first comment could have appeared . Tokyo Vice is such an amazing story , one that , though filed under true crime touches on memoir . Adelstein's position as a reporter with the unique opportunity to out certain immoral ( to say the least ) yakuza behavior , bleeds into his personal life in deeply affecting ways . As soon as I finished the book , I posted again on Twitter : @ jakeadelstein I must apologize for my earlier statement of wanting to be yakuza . I just finished TOKYO VICE . Incredible story , sir . And he came back with : @ calebjross Apology accepted . : ) Such a gentleman . Tokyo Vice goes highly recommended .
    • 014 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) A friend of mine who likes Yakuza stories refered me to an article Jake Adelstein had written for either Maxim or FHM on the organized crime figures of Japan . Finding it somewhat interesting I did a google search on him and found He had written a book about to be published and now have finally gotten around to reading it . While the book has blurbs from the likes of Roberto Saviano and other investigators into criminal activities I was kind of startled by the actual book itself which plays more with Adelstein's accomplisments becoming the first American reporter for the all Japanese edition of the Yoimiuri Shobun , one of the most prestigious papers in the country . The book does begin with a meeting between him and a group of Yakuza dispatched to frighten him into leaving the country the even that ended his career with Yoimiuri before begining the story of his endeavour to get a job as a writer . What follows plays out showing parts of the Japanese society as Adelstein first learns the ins and outs of the Japanese news system . The first half of the novel detailing this seems almost anecdotal in as a Adelstein endears himself with his co-workers and earns a contact within the local police force through a ritual which is highly involving for reporters to keep up their contacts . And truthfully a lot of this section was just as fascinating to me as the later parts of the books discussing Japans love of Manuals and how Adelstein was recruited to write against one detailing the perfect ways to commit suicide , or how Adelstein grew to befriend the family of officer Sekiguchi who became his main source fo information in writing on the crime beat . The second half of the book involves the more criminal elements as Adelstein transferred learns the ins and outs of the sex trade in Japan which I found interesting to a degree that was tempered a bit with a final story involving Adelstein investigating a sex slave trade specializing in white women who were basically lied to come to Japan , forced to do whatever was asked of them , had their money stolen , and couldn't seek help from Japanese police who were unable to help them by law since they were seen more as illegal workers . Summarizing this section isn't easy but Adelstein admits it strained even him in a way . The last section details the major part of the story where details of Adelstein's fight against the Yakuza group that threatened his life . The main Yakuza Tadamasa Goto , head of a powerful family used resources to force the FBI into letting him into the country to gain a liver transplant . Seeking to write a story on this was what put Adelstein's life in danger , who returned to write a book after a friend investigating the group disappears . Theres alot of information covered including a bit about Juzo Itami , a director who dared to challenge Goto and allegedly commited suicide and the unfortunate death of Sekiguchi to cancer . Adelstein has a deft touch in telling his story to western audiences never over embellishing things though I did admit his choice of nicknames for certain characters was odd . Still though He writes with a simple thouroughness that I like for writers of this type of work . He gives you the facts but never in a boring way and keeps it in line with the story Hes telling in the chapter . Like I said a fascinating story and a book well worth reading .
    • 015 4  A friend of mine who likes Yakuza stories refered me to an article Jake Adelstein had written for either Maxim or FHM on the organized crime figures of Japan . Finding it somewhat interesting I did a google search on him and found He had written a book about to be published and now have finally gotten around to reading it . While the book has blurbs from the likes of Roberto Saviano and other investigators into criminal activities I was kind of startled by the actual book itself which plays more with Adelstein's accomplisments becoming the first American reporter for the all Japanese edition of the Yoimiuri Shobun , one of the most prestigious papers in the country . The book does begin with a meeting between him and a group of Yakuza dispatched to frighten him into leaving the country the even that ended his career with Yoimiuri before begining the story of his endeavour to get a job as a writer . What follows plays out showing parts of the Japanese society as Adelstein first learns the ins and outs of the Japanese news system . The first half of the novel detailing this seems almost anecdotal in as a Adelstein endears himself with his co-workers and earns a contact within the local police force through a ritual which is highly involving for reporters to keep up their contacts . And truthfully a lot of this section was just as fascinating to me as the later parts of the books discussing Japans love of Manuals and how Adelstein was recruited to write against one detailing the perfect ways to commit suicide , or how Adelstein grew to befriend the family of officer Sekiguchi who became his main source fo information in writing on the crime beat . The second half of the book involves the more criminal elements as Adelstein transferred learns the ins and outs of the sex trade in Japan which I found interesting to a degree that was tempered a bit with a final story involving Adelstein investigating a sex slave trade specializing in white women who were basically lied to come to Japan , forced to do whatever was asked of them , had their money stolen , and couldn't seek help from Japanese police who were unable to help them by law since they were seen more as illegal workers . Summarizing this section isn't easy but Adelstein admits it strained even him in a way . The last section details the major part of the story where details of Adelstein's fight against the Yakuza group that threatened his life . The main Yakuza Tadamasa Goto , head of a powerful family used resources to force the FBI into letting him into the country to gain a liver transplant . Seeking to write a story on this was what put Adelstein's life in danger , who returned to write a book after a friend investigating the group disappears . Theres alot of information covered including a bit about Juzo Itami , a director who dared to challenge Goto and allegedly commited suicide and the unfortunate death of Sekiguchi to cancer . Adelstein has a deft touch in telling his story to western audiences never over embellishing things though I did admit his choice of nicknames for certain characters was odd . Still though He writes with a simple thouroughness that I like for writers of this type of work . He gives you the facts but never in a boring way and keeps it in line with the story Hes telling in the chapter . Like I said a fascinating story and a book well worth reading .
    • 016 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) I was up and I was down reading Tokyo Vice . Was this book going anywhere ? I was kinda stuck . Was I reading a novel ? Was this real ? I was going to put it down . Then , there were some very touching parts . I thought I was going to cry at one point because there was a part that I felt was just so sad . Then I cannot put it down . I'm racing to the end . I'm not sure where this whole thing is going to end . I'm not sure if Jake is going to end up being a good guy or a bad guy . Jake is a good guy . We need more folks like Jake in this world . Jake , continue doing the right thing . Stay out there , take lot's of notes and give us another book .
    • 017 4  I was up and I was down reading Tokyo Vice . Was this book going anywhere ? I was kinda stuck . Was I reading a novel ? Was this real ? I was going to put it down . Then , there were some very touching parts . I thought I was going to cry at one point because there was a part that I felt was just so sad . Then I cannot put it down . I'm racing to the end . I'm not sure where this whole thing is going to end . I'm not sure if Jake is going to end up being a good guy or a bad guy . Jake is a good guy . We need more folks like Jake in this world . Jake , continue doing the right thing . Stay out there , take lot's of notes and give us another book .
    • 018 4  This is an amazing book . Read it . Once I started , I couldn't put it down . Part memoir , part thriller , part detective story , Jake writes about his journey as a crime reporter for Japan's biggest newspaper with incredible honesty and insight . He shed light on aspects of Japan that I knew nothing about even though I have lived here for more than seven years - - the life of a Japanese reporter on the police beat , the sex industry , human trafficking , yakuza , cops , drugs and the relationships that tie them all together . It may sound sensationalistic , but Jake does not fall into this trap . He is a gifted writer who knows Japan as few other foreigners ( or Japanese for that matter ) do . I am grateful that he is now sharing his powerful story with the world .
    • 019 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) I used this book for a monbusho scholarship paper and I actually interviewed the gentleman . The book is among the best you can find for research on the yakuza . Highly recommended ! ! !
    • 020 4  I used this book for a monbusho scholarship paper and I actually interviewed the gentleman . The book is among the best you can find for research on the yakuza . Highly recommended ! ! !
    • 021 4  Tokyo Vice is a very entertaining read . For someone that knows very little about Japan , I found this book fascinating with the way the Japanese police interact with the reporters that cover the police beat . I will admit I did get a little lost from time to time with the number of Japanese names and places - but the book was well written and very entertaining . If you are looking for an entertaining book to take your mind off other things and learn a little bit about the Japanese culture then I would recommend this book .
    • 022 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) This is one of the few books out there that reveals the true Japanese culture . The experience that Mr . Adelstein has gone through is simply amazing and is a must read book for people who want to understand more about Japan . Will be looking forward to future books written by Mr . Adelstein .
    • 023 4  This is one of the few books out there that reveals the true Japanese culture . The experience that Mr . Adelstein has gone through is simply amazing and is a must read book for people who want to understand more about Japan . Will be looking forward to future books written by Mr . Adelstein .
    • 024 4  An interesting book that provides a very different view of Japan and it's seamier side . Jake is both an outsider ( American ) and an insider ( fluent in Japanese , working as a reporter for Japan's largest paper ) reporting on a ( mostly ) hidden side of Japanese culture . The book has a lot of interesting anecdotes that ring true for anyone with in depth exposure to Japanese culture . As another reviewer pointed out , there is especially little in the book about Jake himself and his family ( which apparently saw very little of him ) . His second child simply appears from nowhere and is mentioned only in passing . Early on in the book , between chapters , Jake jumps from a cub reporter sleeping with a mob moll to a married man of 3 years . This seems like a conscious choice by the author to remain focused on the core topics ( reporting , police , yakuza ) rather than spending pages on his own background . There are some moments of introspection and Jake often takes a bemused view of his past actions which were either very stupid or very clever ( or both ) . The book itself is somewhat uneven , sometimes lurching from topic to topic or taking long tangents at critical moments . But even the tangents are interesting , so it's not much of a problem . The writing sometimes veers towards hard boiled , but never self-consciously so . The final climactic events are both exciting and tragic . Overall , a worthy read .
    • 025 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) As its title suggests , Tokyo Vice explores the seamy side of the Japanese capital , including the yakuza , the city's sex trade , human trafficking and the Lucie Blackman case . But it's much more than that . Adelstein explains how he became a gaijin reporter for the Yomiuri , Japan's largest circulation newspaper . Along the way , he provides numerous insights into Japan's reporters and the newspaper and media businesses . This makes the book a worthwhile read for regional corporate communication managers trying to understand Japan's distinctive media . His experience on the police beat provides an equally interesting look at the workings of Japan's bureaucracy . Tokyo Vice is made memorable by Adelstein's unflinching comments about his personal failings and the mistakes he made along the way . This is not a self-congratulatory memoir . The book covers nearly 17 years , including multiple postings with the Yomiuri . That span - and the number of police officers , reporters and mobsters covered - means the book could have benefited from the addition of a dramatis personæ . But that is a minor quibble . Tokyo Vice is a fast-paced , intriguing read . Highly recommend .
    • 026 4  As its title suggests , Tokyo Vice explores the seamy side of the Japanese capital , including the yakuza , the city's sex trade , human trafficking and the Lucie Blackman case . But it's much more than that . Adelstein explains how he became a gaijin reporter for the Yomiuri , Japan's largest circulation newspaper . Along the way , he provides numerous insights into Japan's reporters and the newspaper and media businesses . This makes the book a worthwhile read for regional corporate communication managers trying to understand Japan's distinctive media . His experience on the police beat provides an equally interesting look at the workings of Japan's bureaucracy . Tokyo Vice is made memorable by Adelstein's unflinching comments about his personal failings and the mistakes he made along the way . This is not a self-congratulatory memoir . The book covers nearly 17 years , including multiple postings with the Yomiuri . That span - and the number of police officers , reporters and mobsters covered - means the book could have benefited from the addition of a dramatis personæ . But that is a minor quibble . Tokyo Vice is a fast-paced , intriguing read . Highly recommend .
    • 027 4  Like Jake Adelstein , I'm a white , male American who around age ~ 20 moved to Japan , became fluent in Japanese and subsequently got into the shady yet enticing underbelly of Japan . My point is that his writing about Japanese corporate culture , night life , sex industry , family life , and yakuza is spot on with everything I've experienced first hand . Of course , he went a bit deeper than most sane people would care to go , which is what pulls us readers in . Aside from being rich factually , this book also shines light on a number of politically murky and complex territories , such as human trafficking . And we're not talking about human trafficking in the exaggerated Hollywood manner of films like Taken ( 2009 ) or Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon , where foreign girls are turned into empty-vessel heroin-addicts , but rather in a way where foreign girls enter Japan of their own volition on 90 - day tourist visas , are tricked into having their passports stolen , and are unable to turn to the police for protection . Adelstein elucidates these processes , and through both human interest-type news snippets and more elaborate characterization makes us feel for the victims of these crimes . The character Helena ( ostensibly a real person ! ) really came to life for me and left me with a deep sadness , especially in one scene where she related parting with her boyfriend to Adelstein , and through what we last hear of her at the end of the book . Her character alone is worth reading this novel for . Of course , Adelstein's own reason for writing this book was as an insurance policy against yakuza that wanted him dead on account of information he knew . While that information is in here and has its purpose , there's a whole lot more going on in this book . Not only are there great insights from foreign eyes into Japanese culture , crime and political climate , but there's also a moving tale in here about Adelstein's own flaws and failings as a human being , what he sacrifices and compromises personally for these news stories , stories about issues like human trafficking that are important and should be heard and need to be addressed . It's not glorious and it's not pretty what he does , but it felt real to me , it moved me . This is just a good book . Pick it up .
    • 028 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) I made the mistake of carrying this with me to the laundromat . I had hoped , of course , that it would help me kill some time while waiting for the washer to finish , but even as the spin cycle ended and my clothes sat in a wet pile , I was occupied by only one thought : maybe just one more chapter . . . Soon , my own life seemed to dwindle in the face of Mr . Adelstein's . Here was an American who upon graduation scored a job at the most prestigious news organization in Japan , and there I was , a dude who couldn't even be bothered to separate his colors from his whites . I followed with great interest his career triumphs , and I cheered whenever he landed a scoop . The stories , which are almost self-contained in chapters , are written like some of the best fiction . The intricacies of Japanese culture are revealed without any of it being dry . The characters could not feel more alive . Some of the banter between him and his colleagues in particular are laugh-out-loud hilarious . And then : oh , god . A chapter jumps out of nowhere that is so beautifully written and heartbreaking , I could cry . Suddenly , I am reminded that these are real people and real relationships . From there , we are taken deeper and deeper into the subculture , uncovering it as he does , and we are not let go until the very end , at which point it might as well , because I didn't think I could take much more . You can see why this isn't laundromat reading ; the act of collecting my clothes seemed wholly inappropriate to the mood the book put me in . Ultimately , however , I am thankful for Mr . Adelstein's willingness to write this book , and be as candid about it as he was . Few people are brave enough to put themselves in these places and to do the things he's done . I only wish I could buy him a beer and hear him talk more about a couple people he wrote about . Even in the darkest of situations , there sure are some beautiful people .
    • 029 4  I made the mistake of carrying this with me to the laundromat . I had hoped , of course , that it would help me kill some time while waiting for the washer to finish , but even as the spin cycle ended and my clothes sat in a wet pile , I was occupied by only one thought : maybe just one more chapter . . . Soon , my own life seemed to dwindle in the face of Mr . Adelstein's . Here was an American who upon graduation scored a job at the most prestigious news organization in Japan , and there I was , a dude who couldn't even be bothered to separate his colors from his whites . I followed with great interest his career triumphs , and I cheered whenever he landed a scoop . The stories , which are almost self-contained in chapters , are written like some of the best fiction . The intricacies of Japanese culture are revealed without any of it being dry . The characters could not feel more alive . Some of the banter between him and his colleagues in particular are laugh-out-loud hilarious . And then : oh , god . A chapter jumps out of nowhere that is so beautifully written and heartbreaking , I could cry . Suddenly , I am reminded that these are real people and real relationships . From there , we are taken deeper and deeper into the subculture , uncovering it as he does , and we are not let go until the very end , at which point it might as well , because I didn't think I could take much more . You can see why this isn't laundromat reading ; the act of collecting my clothes seemed wholly inappropriate to the mood the book put me in . Ultimately , however , I am thankful for Mr . Adelstein's willingness to write this book , and be as candid about it as he was . Few people are brave enough to put themselves in these places and to do the things he's done . I only wish I could buy him a beer and hear him talk more about a couple people he wrote about . Even in the darkest of situations , there sure are some beautiful people .
    • 030 4  There are many who try and glamourize the dark underworld that exist around the USA and abroad , but few authors have been able to tell us the true story of the people like reporter Jake Adelstein . In the new book TOKYO VICE he takes us into real-life situations that threaten not only the victims but even his safety and security as well . I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions as I laughed at some events and felt great sadness during others when I realized that there are many who will never know the life of freedom so many of us take for granted . There is also the struggle Jake has as a human being and reporter in the way he interacts with those whose story and situations he wants to get out to the public . There takes great skill , purpose and conviciton to do what Adelstein has done . I just hope that we can read his book and evaluate the way we go about trying to make a difference each day that we are given .
    • 031 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) I highly recommend this book to those interested in Japanese organized crime and , more broadly , in modern Japanese society . It is an engaging and exciting story . The author is brave , intelligent , articulate , and a fool . You will be rewarded with a good read as well as insight into parts of Japanese life that most gaijin will otherwise never learn about .
    • 032 4  I highly recommend this book to those interested in Japanese organized crime and , more broadly , in modern Japanese society . It is an engaging and exciting story . The author is brave , intelligent , articulate , and a fool . You will be rewarded with a good read as well as insight into parts of Japanese life that most gaijin will otherwise never learn about .
    • 033 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Kindle Edition ) I purchased this after seeing Jake Adelstein on The Daily Show , but it's not what I expected . The book is dark , intensely personal , and graphic . But most importantly , it's fascinating . A great read for both the details of the Japanese underworld and for the drama of Mr . Adelstein's career there .
    • 035 4  This is what a memoir about Japan should be : educational , entertaining , and rife with valuable , real life experience that just happened to be gained far from home . Any mention of cultural comparison is couched in humor or insight rather than the typical , self-indulgent , isolated whining one usually finds in memoirs of westerners living in Asia . Adelstein's story is a rare glimpse into a subculture most people - - Japanese or otherwise - - will never see . A great read and very highly recommended !
    • 036 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) I downloaded Tokyo Vice on my Kindle on a Friday and I'm done with the book on Monday . I highly recommend the book . There are a lot of people mentioned in the book but the author does a good job of providing them with nicknames or descriptions that made it easy to keep them all straight and remember their roles and positions . At first I thoguht it would just be another mob book and I'd be turned-off by the violence and bravado within a hundred pages . Instead , I found myself getting attached to the heroes of the book , especially Sekiguchi-san and Hamaya-san and realizing this isn't really a mob book but a story about honor , self-realization and that the good people of the world aren't necessarily the most successful , or respected .
    • 037 4  I downloaded Tokyo Vice on my Kindle on a Friday and I'm done with the book on Monday . I highly recommend the book . There are a lot of people mentioned in the book but the author does a good job of providing them with nicknames or descriptions that made it easy to keep them all straight and remember their roles and positions . At first I thoguht it would just be another mob book and I'd be turned-off by the violence and bravado within a hundred pages . Instead , I found myself getting attached to the heroes of the book , especially Sekiguchi-san and Hamaya-san and realizing this isn't really a mob book but a story about honor , self-realization and that the good people of the world aren't necessarily the most successful , or respected .
    • 038 4  An interesting book about a topic not many American readers are aware of . Tokyo Vice is written by the author as an autobiography of sorts spanning his career and life as a journalist . From his graduation at university through his rather hasty departure from Japan after angering the Yakuza , we get to view the seedy underbelly of the country and learn of his experiences . Along the way , many people help explain , mentor , and assist Jake . The author makes them seem more than just names in a book , but real people who deeply affected his life and helped bring some understanding to stories he covered as a journalist . Tokyo Vice is an easy book to read , sure there are situations where you have to slow down to absorb everything , but it is written very conversationally and flows well . There are some rather colorful parts where Jake comes face to face , so to speak , with the sex industry which are pretty amusing . This makes the book seem a little more light-hearted than dour , which is what many crime books seem to turn into . Reading about how he got his information and who mentored him is facinating . By the end of the book , I was surprised that the author was shocked he had such an impact , for the better , on many people's lives . He comes off as just a journalist who not only wants to get a story , but to also do the right thing . This is a must read for anyone interested in learning more about the Japanese mafia , crime , or journalism . Even readers who do not have an interest in Asia will find the book a good read .
    • 039 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) Jake Adelstein has written a book that sticks in your mind long after it is out of your hands . This memoir of an American journalist working for Japan's largest daily newspaper grabbed me from the start and pinned me down with its accelerating descent into the ruthless depravity of the world of organized crime in Japan . The chronicling of the tangle of relationships between the media , police , organized crime and the sex trade confirmed what I always heard rumored ( and feared ) was true . It's a little depressing to have that verified , but I guess it shows I did pick up on a few things during the dozen years I spent living in Japan . In this book the bad guys aren't all bad , the good guys aren't all good , and the protagonist is in turns smart and courageous then reckless and stupid . Or perhaps smart and reckless then courageous and stupid . Almost none of the characters can be pegged as purely sinner or saint , including the author himself . In this way , it's an exceedingly human story , with none of the easy moral resolutions you might find in a conventional work of fiction . At times the book is dark and graphic , but certainly not without moments of humor . It's always entertaining and had me staying up later than I meant to as I read on to find out what happened next . The writer's voice is unique and often self-deprecating , which is probably part of the reason why he was able to adjust to and assimilate into Japanese culture . He may be a libidinous , workaholic , adrenaline junkie who smokes too much , drinks too much and gets himself into situations that are way over his head , but he does it all with earnestness and what seem like the right motivations . The fact that it's derived from true events makes it even more poignant . This book is a potent antidote to the common yet naive belief that even the seedier sides of Japan are all kitsch and quirkiness . Highly recommended to readers who want to learn more about the parts of Japan that outsiders and most Japanese rarely if ever see , or anyone who wants to read a fascinating true story about crime , greed , sex , money and a search for the truth .
    • 040 4  Jake Adelstein has written a book that sticks in your mind long after it is out of your hands . This memoir of an American journalist working for Japan's largest daily newspaper grabbed me from the start and pinned me down with its accelerating descent into the ruthless depravity of the world of organized crime in Japan . The chronicling of the tangle of relationships between the media , police , organized crime and the sex trade confirmed what I always heard rumored ( and feared ) was true . It's a little depressing to have that verified , but I guess it shows I did pick up on a few things during the dozen years I spent living in Japan . In this book the bad guys aren't all bad , the good guys aren't all good , and the protagonist is in turns smart and courageous then reckless and stupid . Or perhaps smart and reckless then courageous and stupid . Almost none of the characters can be pegged as purely sinner or saint , including the author himself . In this way , it's an exceedingly human story , with none of the easy moral resolutions you might find in a conventional work of fiction . At times the book is dark and graphic , but certainly not without moments of humor . It's always entertaining and had me staying up later than I meant to as I read on to find out what happened next . The writer's voice is unique and often self-deprecating , which is probably part of the reason why he was able to adjust to and assimilate into Japanese culture . He may be a libidinous , workaholic , adrenaline junkie who smokes too much , drinks too much and gets himself into situations that are way over his head , but he does it all with earnestness and what seem like the right motivations . The fact that it's derived from true events makes it even more poignant . This book is a potent antidote to the common yet naive belief that even the seedier sides of Japan are all kitsch and quirkiness . Highly recommended to readers who want to learn more about the parts of Japan that outsiders and most Japanese rarely if ever see , or anyone who wants to read a fascinating true story about crime , greed , sex , money and a search for the truth .
    • 041 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) Adelstein , you wrote a great book , entertaining and informative . In some ways I relate to you as I was a photojournalist for several years in the early ' 90s , only not in Tokyo , in NY Metro . I'm also happy that you and your family made it through OK . These days I am no longer a news photographer , I went back to school and got my MLS so I'm a librarian now ( what can I say , I love information ) . I'll be sure to recommend Tokyo Vice for purchase at my library , it's a worthwhile story that is very well written . Be Well Jake , I wish you the best !
    • 042 4  Adelstein , you wrote a great book , entertaining and informative . In some ways I relate to you as I was a photojournalist for several years in the early ' 90s , only not in Tokyo , in NY Metro . I'm also happy that you and your family made it through OK . These days I am no longer a news photographer , I went back to school and got my MLS so I'm a librarian now ( what can I say , I love information ) . I'll be sure to recommend Tokyo Vice for purchase at my library , it's a worthwhile story that is very well written . Be Well Jake , I wish you the best !
    • 043 4  This book really casts a great light onto the world of journalism as practiced in Japan . The author was a crime beat writer . It is a world that does not open itself to outsiders . Rather , it is a very closed world that emphasizes connections and lineage . What the author also shares with the reader is how life on the crime beat would lead to a decision that would change his life . He would uncover too much about one crime family and they would make him an offer that he could not refuse . This book tells all of this and never works to do so . It is informative , but it is not boring . It moves along at a very good pace and never becomes dull . I would suggest this to anyone .
    • 044 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) Entertaining for a while . Too much information about the author's own sex life to please me .
    • 045 4  Entertaining for a while . Too much information about the author's own sex life to please me .
    • 046 4  If you have any remote interest in the Japanese mafia and their operations you should read this book . Tokyo Vice does a great job interconnecting the Yakuza , the Tokyo Metropolitan Police , and all elements of the seedy side of crime in Japan . All of this told from the perspective of a Jewish-American reporter ! At the book's core is an international appeal to stop the human-trafficking of sex workers .
    • 047 4  Ever since I spent a ten-day vacation in Japan , I've been keeping my eye out for interesting books that might help me better understand the country . I've traveled to a lot of countries in the world , but Japan felt more alien to me than any place I'd been . This book by an American who worked as a crime reporter for a major Japanese newspaper ( Yomiuri Shinbun ) during the 1990s is a decent window into the Japanese underworld , through which readers can get a sense of how Japanese society differs from that of the U.S . The popular American image of the crime reporter is one of a kind of investigator / muckraker / sensationalist / lone ranger , always looking for the lurid scoop , eager to make the authorities look foolish . The Japanese version couldn't be much further from that . First of all , the sheer number of reporters assigned to the crime beat is astonishing . Several times in the book , he recounts how when news of a murder would come through , you might see 5 - 10 reporters from a single paper converging on the crime scene ! Even more interesting is the overt dependence of the reporters on the cops . Not only are they based in an office within the police building , but they seem to be almost entirely reliant on police press releases and inside tips for their stories . Moreover , they are exceedingly deferential when it comes to the timing of when they actually file these stories . And yet even more striking is the extent to which reporters visit their cop sources at home , bring gifts , and form strange quasi-friendships / patronages . In any event , Adelstein's beat inevitably leads him into the not-so-murky world of the yakuza , Japan's organized crime . What's revelatory is the extent to which they operate in the open as corporate entities , complete with publicly listed headquarters , business cards indicating rank , and so forth . Similarly interesting is the extent to which they are deeply embedded in legitimate commerce , such as the residential and commercial real estate market . Adelstein recounts all this more or less as background to the central story of his book , which is his years-long investigation of their involvement in the visible and large semi-legal market for sexual services , and the only slightly less visible illegal market . This takes him all manner of hostess clubs , and eventually into the sordid world of indentured sexual servitude of mainly of non-Japanese women . This marks his transformation into a classic crusading journalist , who starts doing dangerous and unsavory things in pursuit of justice . Oddly , for a professional writer , his English prose is not a very smooth . Part of the problem is one of style , as he sometimes seems to be striving for a kind of modern noirish streetwise patter , which can often veer off into cliche . But construction is a bigger problem ; on a macro level , the book follows a pretty straightforward chronological arc , but within chapters , it can be pretty hazy as to the gaps in time between events , as well as the sequence . He'll often refer to events that take place years apart in a way that's quite confusing and makes it hard to track what's going on . There's also a kind of strange disconnect in regards to his personal life . The book is very much the story of his personal journey into Japan culture , the newspaper biz , and the underworld . Most of the time , he writes about himself in the lone wolf style and then , every so often , he'll toss in a paragraph or two about his marriage to a Japanese woman , or their kids . It feels off somehow . Fortunately , his topic is so engrossing that these book's deficiencies can be generally ignored . The book is definitely worth checking out if you have an interest in Japan beyond the standard tourist trail . If you like it , you should also check out Karl Taro Greenfield's Speed Tribes , which is a slightly earlier look at the underbelly of Japan , covering the mid to late - 1980s . One thing Adelstein touches upon , but doesn't get deeply into , is the extent to which yakuza has been intertwined with Japanese political life since World War II . This subject is covered in detail in Robert Whiting's Tokyo Underworld . Those with an interest in the yakuza life of the pre-World War II era should check out Junichi Saga's Confessions of a Yakuza . In any event , if you're interest in how journalism works in other countries , or in the true crime genre of nonfiction , this is worth a look .
    • 048 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) My husband asked me to order Tokyo Vice for him after he heard Jake Adelstein being interviewed on NPR . He had not gotten around to reading it yet so , while I didn't find the topic terribly intriguing , I decided to read it . I quickly found myself really enjoying the book ; it's very well written and really fun to read . I did not know much about the Japanese underworld ( beyond the typical stereotypes ) and learned a lot from this book . I was in Roppongi for business years ago and found it interesting to think that all this seedy stuff happened so close by . I do not know if / how Mr . Adelstein can build on his expertise and have more material to write another book as good as this one , but I look forward to finding out .
    • 049 4  My husband asked me to order Tokyo Vice for him after he heard Jake Adelstein being interviewed on NPR . He had not gotten around to reading it yet so , while I didn't find the topic terribly intriguing , I decided to read it . I quickly found myself really enjoying the book ; it's very well written and really fun to read . I did not know much about the Japanese underworld ( beyond the typical stereotypes ) and learned a lot from this book . I was in Roppongi for business years ago and found it interesting to think that all this seedy stuff happened so close by . I do not know if / how Mr . Adelstein can build on his expertise and have more material to write another book as good as this one , but I look forward to finding out .
    • 050 4  I had originally heard of this book through 60 minutes when they did a piece on Adelstein and the situation this book concerns . When I picked it up I thought it was going to be something of a textbook on the Yakuza and the related history and culture . The book , however , is much more than a simple textbook . The book is more or less a biography of Adelstein's time in Japan , and what a time it was . There is plenty of Yakuza based action , if that is all you're interested in , but it also gives insight into the ( frankly , as a westerner ) crazy culture of Japan which is equally as interesting . If the account is entirely true ( though I have to imagine some parts are slightly inflated ) Mr . Adelstein has lived one incredibly strange and adventurous life . Absolutely worth your time and money .
    • 051 4  Tokyo Vice is a journey into the world of Japanese organized crime . As a Jewish kid from Missouri , Adelstein took the unlikely road of getting his degree from Tokyo's Sophia University ( why ? He doesn't say ) when , more or less on a lark , he decided to apply for employment at Tokyo's largest newspaper , Yomiuri Shinbun . He was accepted - - or more accurately , hired but still seeking acceptance - - and began a long 12 year apprenticeship as a crime reporter . The relationship between reporters and the police and the yakuza ( Japan's organized crime syndicates ) is almost unimaginably strange to a Westerner . Reporters are expected to become male geishas ( Jake's term ) for the police , bringing them presents , hanging out with their families , and sharing the results of their investigative reporting with the police before publication . At the same time , the police inform the yakuza of the time & place when they are planning a raid so the raids can be carried out without violence . Jake claims there is very little corruption between the police and organized crime , but due to Japan's restrictive laws there is also very little prosecution of yakuza ( at least at the time of this book , 1993 - 2005 ) . Everyone maintains an open dialog , sharing information , taking tea , doing favors for each other , and very civilly co-existing . At least , until Adelstein uncovers a story with international ramifications involving UCLA Medical Center , the FBI , a top crime boss and United States complicity in human trafficking . Suddenly he becomes a hot potato , and is visited by a yakuza enforcer who suggests , not too subtly , that Jake might want to drop the story and leave the country . He does . From 2006 - 2007 he worked with the U.S . State Department on investigating Japan's open secret of importing foreign women to become sex workers against their will . His work during this period is covered only in outline form in this book , and one gets the impression that a lot of what he uncovered remains undiscussed for a variety of reasons . Eventually , with his new friends at State behind him , he returns to the forbidden story in Japan and blows the lid off it . By publishing his research , both in this book and in the Japanese press , he figures the motives for killing him are removed from the yakuza and he should be able to live out his life relatively worry-free in the U.S . Jake's writing is excellent , engaging , entertaining , informative and compulsively readable . The stories he tells are true crime of the highest caliber . He portrays himself without filtering , giving the full measure of debasement and depravity he sunk to while covering the vice beat . It was a job that ate him up like a virus , and he wasn't very proud of himself by the time he completed his stint . The reader too is taken on a tour of some pretty despicable activities , so be forewarned the book is not for the faint of heart . But what kept me wondering is what was left out of the book . Big chunks of Jake's story are glossed over or left undiscussed . Especially his time at State raises more questions than it answers . The evolution of Japanese organized crime 1946 - present in many ways seems to parallel American organized crime , which went from openly fighting government in the early 1960 ' s to essentially owning it in the 1980s ( Dark Victory : Ronald Reagan , MCA and the Mob ) . Today the term organized crime is rarely even mentioned anymore in this country , because it has simply become accepted that certain industries and business interests control both the government ( and thus regulation and restraint ) and the media ( and thus public perception ) in a way that would have been unthinkable a generation ago . Perhaps the Japanese example is an allegory for our own society , a cautionary tale of the price of sleeping with the devil .
    • 052 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Kindle Edition ) Excellent narrative . I thoroughly enjoyed this book . Takes you to another world . Try to keep in mind the whole time that it's a Jewish guy / Wry Sense of Humor / Yakuza / Tokyo Red Light district all mixed in one . I think if you've been to Japan , you get to understand why this is such a ridiculous ( but entertaining ! ) picture . Ends on a serious note , you'll never look at Tokyo quite the same again .
    • 053 4  Excellent narrative . I thoroughly enjoyed this book . Takes you to another world . Try to keep in mind the whole time that it's a Jewish guy / Wry Sense of Humor / Yakuza / Tokyo Red Light district all mixed in one . I think if you've been to Japan , you get to understand why this is such a ridiculous ( but entertaining ! ) picture . Ends on a serious note , you'll never look at Tokyo quite the same again .
    • 054 4  If you like books on Japan , or even if you don't , this is well worth it . Not to many authors go this deep into their subject , but then again , not to many do what this guy did . Worth reading twice . It's that good .
    • 055 4  Tokyo Vice is the best book I have read in the past year . I must have a fondness for the ' gajin immersed in the oriental culture ' genre ( I also liked American Shaolin and Bangkok 8 ) . Not only is the subject matter compelling , but the writing itself propels you forward through each chapter .
    • 056 4  This book is written like an unedited newspaper article - really interesting stories and cool cultural background stuff about the Japanese way of life , but it seems to me the stories need to be organized and chopped a bit , to make them flow a little easier . It's like sitting on a jury in a large trial , the material is really amazing , but each has a tendency to drag on and on and get a little confusing .
    • 057 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) Jake Adelstein really makes you feel what happens within the Japanese culture , as if you were there .
    • 058 4  Jake Adelstein really makes you feel what happens within the Japanese culture , as if you were there .
    • 059 4  I heard about Tokyo Vice from the Daily Show and another friend who read the book . I finally started reading it and couldn't put it down . Jake Adelstein is great story teller and his experiences in Japan were incredible . I didn't know anything about the yakuza before reading the book , I'm interested in finding out more now . I highly recommend this book !
    • 060 4  Tokyo Vice is one of my favorite novels of all time . Not just because of the content within the confines of the hardcover , but because of the support the author has put behind it . This story covers such a wide spectrum of Jake Adelstein's life that writing it seems to have become his lifestyle . Which makes this book never ending . Once you finish the novel it points you towards a website : [ . . . ] > . I read about this website with great doubt , the only reason I went to it was to see the one post I would expect on a personal website attached to a recent novel : Sorry I can't update that often , very busy doing a book tour , etc . , etc . Instead I found multiple posts as long as chapters in the book describing recent events that have happened since the novel finished . Not only are the posts well written like the novel , but he comments back in full to each comment left on his posts ! Or in my particular situation I left him my e-mail and he sent a personal e-mail to me providing contact information since I was curious about going to Japan in the near future . I can not believe the support behind this novel and I may pick up an extra copy to have in pristine condition ( I have a tendency to rough up my novels when I read them the first time . ) This is a novel for a new age where people are always connected to the internet , Jake's Twitter also provides access to any book tours that he may be on or whether he is going to have a reading here in America or back in Tokyo .
    • 061 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) When I started reading this book I had a very different expectation as to its content based on my perception of Japanese culture . This book opened a fascinating window on darker aspects of that culture I was only peripherally aware of . It is also an interesting tale of slow self corruption where the fall is not from on high . Rather a fall from a place of moral ambiguity at best to a place that is way dark and twisted . One wonders if there is any true recovery from such a place but hopes that there is . I highly recommend this book as a fantastic ( if dark ) read and a real page turner .
    • 062 4  When I started reading this book I had a very different expectation as to its content based on my perception of Japanese culture . This book opened a fascinating window on darker aspects of that culture I was only peripherally aware of . It is also an interesting tale of slow self corruption where the fall is not from on high . Rather a fall from a place of moral ambiguity at best to a place that is way dark and twisted . One wonders if there is any true recovery from such a place but hopes that there is . I highly recommend this book as a fantastic ( if dark ) read and a real page turner .
    • 063 4  Having lived and worked in Tokyo in the 80 ' s and 90 ' s , I found Jake Adelstein's detailed narrative about Japan's criminal underworld fascinating . Most of his book is written with wry humor and the no-holds barred approach of a young , street-wise , foreign reporter fluent in the local language , who can explain the nuances and details of Japanese culture . Ultimately it is a horrifying tale of criminal exploitation , human cruelty , horrific violence and human misery - - very unsettling . Japan and Japanese culture have so many positive and admirable aspects , but this well-written book paints a horrifying look at the underside .
    • 064 4  Jake Adelstein is a very gifted writer who sheds light on Japan's darker side . Adelstein goes about describing an array of suicides and murders within Japan , eventually describing how the Yakuza is almighty and basically controls that country . After reading this book I am left feeling frustrated at Japan's attitude towards ' Gaijin ' , and the whole competency of the police force is laughable . I do hope , however , that the country itself can overcome prejudices against foreigners , and help stop the human-trafficking that's been taking place right under their nose .
    • 065 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) Fascinating read and after spending time in japan it explained so many slight issues and comments I missed . Highly recommended . Saddening how much Japanese business people and culture overall are held hostage by these thugs - reading through the lines it also explains why japan may never be able to recover economically due to the unending mob factor at every level of society , biz and politics .
    • 066 4  Fascinating read and after spending time in japan it explained so many slight issues and comments I missed . Highly recommended . Saddening how much Japanese business people and culture overall are held hostage by these thugs - reading through the lines it also explains why japan may never be able to recover economically due to the unending mob factor at every level of society , biz and politics .
    • 067 4  This is a fascinating book - it reads like action-packed fiction , though it is non-fiction . I felt ( as another reviewer wrote ) like I was sitting next to someone in a bar - like a really interesting Forest Gump . . . in Japan . My husband , mother , step-father , and I all loved this book - and couldn't put it down until we'd finished it . How many books can you say that about ? ( The title and cover aren't the greatest , but don't let them turn you off , the book is a great read ! )
    • 068 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Kindle Edition ) I was intrigued with the book after hearing the author on NPR , then I was actually reading it when I saw his interview on the Daily Show . Although it is a great read regarding some solved and unsolved cases and the life of a crime-beat reporter , it also gives you a constant interesting diet of japanese culture as snacks . It also is the wrenching honesty at times of the author's insights that keep one captivated . I don't know if I could ever be that candid in my opinions and inner thoughts for posterity in writing but I can't put the book down . it is very fulfilling in many aspets you don't expect when you start to read it .
    • 069 4  I was intrigued with the book after hearing the author on NPR , then I was actually reading it when I saw his interview on the Daily Show . Although it is a great read regarding some solved and unsolved cases and the life of a crime-beat reporter , it also gives you a constant interesting diet of japanese culture as snacks . It also is the wrenching honesty at times of the author's insights that keep one captivated . I don't know if I could ever be that candid in my opinions and inner thoughts for posterity in writing but I can't put the book down . it is very fulfilling in many aspets you don't expect when you start to read it .
    • 070 4  A fly-on-the-wall journey with a wanna be reporter , who succeeds in becoming that rare breed : an investigative journalist . It is all the more satisfying in that it takes place in an exotic locale of beauty , danger , intrigue , humor , sex & violence , and at its apex - a back to the future Shogun of Clavell territory : HONOR . George Orwell said it best , that omission is the greatest form of a lie . Unfortunately , that is the best description of today's media . That problem is addressed dead center in Jake Adelsein's Tokyo Vice . Meeting is merely the beginning of separation . This and other Japanese proverbs / Buddhist sutras are some of the pleasures to be found in this fine piece of biographical / narrative / investigative journalism . The Yakuzu play a central role in his work as well as the Japanese press and police . The intricacies of those relationships both formal / informal understandings are fascinating to say the least . Still , to me , it is the author's drive to become the best repoter he can be that carries the weight of all that transpires . His mentors instill the Japanese culture into his very being and the reader benefits because he put you in his shoes . Its not only quite entertaining but informative as well . His eight rules of being a good reporter , his copious facts of the yakuza organizations , and finially , it is his journey into circles within circles of the Deep State that the payoff comes . It is shocking and heartbreaking . This Deep State , which is making policy and implementing it , is an intersection of a criminal / global political economy that is NOT nation based . It's an international structure that serves as a conduit / network of different actors : banks , corporations , arms companies , private miltaries , media , criminal organizations - ALL connecting with intelligence services / governments . The public is completely outside the loop . To penetrate it's inner circles can result in death , torture , and at best . . . well , thats the story of Tokyo Vice to me . The author wears his heart on his sleeve in the telling of his tale and this leaves the reader both angry and appreciative of his brutal honesty . His honor is soooo Japanese / it just is / what is . One of his Buddhist sutras is the story about a bunch of children playing in a house . The house is on fire . If the kids don't get out they will burn to death . But the kids won't leave the house because they are having too much fun . People are yelling for them to leave , but they won't . The door is locked from the inside . Someone tells the children that if they come outside there's delicious candy waiting for them . It's a lie , but it gets the kids out of the house and they are saved . Uso mo hoben - lies are also a skillful means . Circles w / in circles . HIGHLY RECOMMEMDED ! ! ! ! !
    • 072 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) Adelstein doesn't hold back . He accurately and vividly describes his life as a reporter for a Japanese newspaper that he normally would never be allowed into . The book keeps you interested and tells a great story .
    • 073 4  Adelstein doesn't hold back . He accurately and vividly describes his life as a reporter for a Japanese newspaper that he normally would never be allowed into . The book keeps you interested and tells a great story .
    • 074 4  So often when we see some of the films of Beat Takeshi , the movie Onibi , the movie Sleepless Town or even Koji Yakusho's noble gangster in Bounce Ko-gal we are lauded into an illusion of the Yakuza as noble men walking a path of the shadows so that the common man can walk in the sun . Also in some cases we see violence is something the noble yakuza does to ignoble yakuza as in Onibi or several of the Beat's film . Even Sonny Chiba's Kage no Gundan is a yakuza TV series where the yakuza name is not used but are replaced with ninja . But all the themes of the yakuza is there from several of the cast members having jobs associated with traditional yakuza jobs ( construction and peddling ) to the whole we are shadows so that others may live in the sun . But that is an illusion created by the Japan film industry ( who has heavy yakuza control through ownership and pressure often violent ) and only touches upon what the yakuza want to show . What we do forget is that there are victims to the yakuza's action . Peoples whose whole lives are destroyed . Tokyo Vice reminds you of this . Jake Adelstein takes on a journey of him starting as the first American reporter for Yomiuri to the bringing down of one of Japan's most nasty gangster : Tadamasa Goto . It is a journey from a young and idealistic reporter to burn out numb reporter and then to man reawaken to the suffering of other . Along the way we meet people who through Mr . Adelstein's writing become memorable individuals . Some are noble and brave while others are scary and deplorable , we see them all . As I said we see the victims and they linger in your heart after reading it . I think it is a valuable lesson for us here in the west that see they are not noble criminals of the movies but dangerous greedy and violent people and seeing the results on normal people , you can not look at those films the same way again .
    • 075 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) One reviewer gave this book 1 star . The criticism was the Jake Adelstein's English . I recently finished this book and found it fascinating and could not put it down . Maybe , just maybe , one has to have some connection or background to Japan , but I doubt it . The reviewer lives in Turkey . Is this reviewer an English professor living in Turkey ? Is he , himself , an author of novels ? If the English bothered him so much , why did he finish reading it ? If you want a great read , some interesting background on Japan and its political and legal system and how a gaijin could make it as a journalist in a profession that only Japanese worked , you should read this book . My 5 stars seems to have come close to mirroring reviews by others .
    • 076 4  One reviewer gave this book 1 star . The criticism was the Jake Adelstein's English . I recently finished this book and found it fascinating and could not put it down . Maybe , just maybe , one has to have some connection or background to Japan , but I doubt it . The reviewer lives in Turkey . Is this reviewer an English professor living in Turkey ? Is he , himself , an author of novels ? If the English bothered him so much , why did he finish reading it ? If you want a great read , some interesting background on Japan and its political and legal system and how a gaijin could make it as a journalist in a profession that only Japanese worked , you should read this book . My 5 stars seems to have come close to mirroring reviews by others .
    • 077 4  I got TOKYO VICE as a gift and proceeded to read it non-stop , in one night , until 4am . Could not put it down . Jake Adelstein is a brave person and a terrific writer . This book is the most compelling I've read in a long , long while - - and I read constantly . Dark , evocative , informative , riveting - - he lets us into a world the average person would never even glimpse , and once there , he leads us by the hand down the seediest , riskiest corridors , whispering perfect translations into our ears and reassuring us that transgression is built into the human condition . I've already bought copies of this for several friends , and will likely end up buying a few more before I'm through . . . .
    • 078 4  What a great read . The author lays bare the seemy underbelly of Japan and draws you in . I could not put this book down and truly felt for Jake and those who fell in the process of uncovering the truth .
    • 079 4  Jake Adelstein tells the fascinating , riveting story of his time working as a reporter for a Japanese-language newspaper in Japan . Although this book is worthwhile because of its account of the efforts that Adelstein made to integrate himself into the culture of a Japanese corporation , it really offers so much more . Adelstein's professional and personal relationships with members of the Japanese police , his harrowing descriptions of a wide variety of gruesome crimes , and his account of his all-too-close encounters with members of the Yakuza make this book a must-read .
    • 080 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) Having only been to Japan once , I had only a fraction of a sense that this world existed right behind the shiny fronts of Tokyo . This is a mind-stoking memoir that makes for a great read . I'm already about to start reading it again , which is my highest compliment .
    • 081 4  Having only been to Japan once , I had only a fraction of a sense that this world existed right behind the shiny fronts of Tokyo . This is a mind-stoking memoir that makes for a great read . I'm already about to start reading it again , which is my highest compliment .
    • 082 4  Very interesting book . For 20 years the author went deep into Japanese culture and society in ways that would normally be considered impossible for a westerner . He shares his experiences and perspectives gained on his many adventures while working as a full fledged Japanese language reporter for one of Japans largest newspapers . He manages to get tangled up in all kinds of interesting relationships , including with powerful ruthless yakuza mob bosses ; and somehow survive ( so far ! ) I particularly appreciated his honesty , his sometimes self deprecating humility , his sharing of some of the subtleties of Japanese culture , manners , thinking , personalities , etc . he experienced in his interactions . I look forward to reading anything else the author might put out in the future .
    • 083 4  First , full disclosure . I know Jake socially from his days in Tokyo . He is a great guy and a constant source of wonderful anecdotes . That said , this is a wonderful piece of investigative journalism . The degree to which organized crime pervades Japanese society is not fully appreciated by Japanese themselves because the yakuza work to keep it so . One has only to look at the threats made against Jake's family to understand what keeping their profile low means to these guys . I don't want to ramble on too long , but Jake is a gutsy guy to publish in the face of such threats . This is a story that needed to be told , but nobody was telling . I cannot wait to read the book ( as soon as it is available on kindle . )
    • 084 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Kindle Edition ) What a great book . It's hard to put down . Can't wait to see what's next Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan
    • 085 4  What a great book . It's hard to put down . Can't wait to see what's next Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan
    • 086 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) I had really high hopes for this book , but it was not to be . The first third of this book is mostly filler and then when we get to the meat of the matter - it's written rather dull . Adelstein also seems to think we're all so interested in his sex life and I wasn't . I was interested in the Yakuza . I'm sure the man had amazing experiences , but I didn't think he communicated them very well .
    • 087 4  I had really high hopes for this book , but it was not to be . The first third of this book is mostly filler and then when we get to the meat of the matter - it's written rather dull . Adelstein also seems to think we're all so interested in his sex life and I wasn't . I was interested in the Yakuza . I'm sure the man had amazing experiences , but I didn't think he communicated them very well .
    • 088 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) This is a very good read that gives us a rare glimpse into the underworld of the yakuza in Japan . My only criticism is that the author does not begin to thoroughly address his subject matter until after writing seven chapters ( or a quarter of the book ) about his background , to include his Japanese undergraduate education and his struggle to become a reporter for the Yomiuir Shinbun newspaper in Tokyo . As interesting as this padding may be , especially for journalism students , this reader bought this work to learn about Tokyo Vice , not Mr . Adelstein's trials and tribulations . In short , three chapters , not seven would have more than sufficed . Consequently , this is why I have rated it as a four-star read instead of a five-star read . I recommend this work for anyone wanting to have a have an insider's feel for what it is like to be a cub reporter as well as those seeking to get some insight into organized crime in Japan .
    • 089 4  This is a very good read that gives us a rare glimpse into the underworld of the yakuza in Japan . My only criticism is that the author does not begin to thoroughly address his subject matter until after writing seven chapters ( or a quarter of the book ) about his background , to include his Japanese undergraduate education and his struggle to become a reporter for the Yomiuir Shinbun newspaper in Tokyo . As interesting as this padding may be , especially for journalism students , this reader bought this work to learn about Tokyo Vice , not Mr . Adelstein's trials and tribulations . In short , three chapters , not seven would have more than sufficed . Consequently , this is why I have rated it as a four-star read instead of a five-star read . I recommend this work for anyone wanting to have a have an insider's feel for what it is like to be a cub reporter as well as those seeking to get some insight into organized crime in Japan .
    • 090 4  I bought this book because I was drawn to the curiosity of an American becoming a newspaper reporter in Japan and in this respect the book did not disappoint . I read avidly through the first half of the book , fascinated by the details of Mr . Adelstein's experiences with the Yomiuri Shimbun , like the oddity of nightly visits to police detectives ' homes and the ethical dilemma of having a Japanese police officer pay for a visit to a massage parlor . I thought the later chapters of the book lacked clarity of purpose . Much of the author's conflict with the yakuza isn't adequately explained and casts a hysterical shadow over his credibility . That's not to say I think he's making up the loss of his junkie prostitute friend : only that he doesn't really give enough evidence to show that the Goto-gumi hate his guts as much as he claims they do . I almost feel that there's a lot of personal turmoil that the author chose not to reveal that obscured the later chapters of the book . I think this would have been a better book if it had focused on his time at the Yomiuri Shimbun and left the Goto-gumi for another , more honest , book . However , it's still worth reading .
    • 091 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) For $26 , you get a series of anecdotes about crime in Japan , punctuated here and there with brief glimpses ( some way too revealing ; most not nearly revealing enough ) into what must be a fascinating life . Is Tokyo Vice a memoir ? If so , there's precious little in it about the writer . I didn't get a sense of who Jake Adelstein is , nor did I really grasp what drew him to Japan and kept him there . In fact , I learned more about Adelstein from the Amazon.com Q & A than I did from the book itself . Crime and punishment ? Yawn . A Jewish kid from Missouri who spends five years living in a Zen monastery and becomes a crime reporter with Japan's biggest newspaper ? Now THAT's an interesting story , and one I'd really like to read .
    • 092 4  For $26 , you get a series of anecdotes about crime in Japan , punctuated here and there with brief glimpses ( some way too revealing ; most not nearly revealing enough ) into what must be a fascinating life . Is Tokyo Vice a memoir ? If so , there's precious little in it about the writer . I didn't get a sense of who Jake Adelstein is , nor did I really grasp what drew him to Japan and kept him there . In fact , I learned more about Adelstein from the Amazon.com Q & A than I did from the book itself . Crime and punishment ? Yawn . A Jewish kid from Missouri who spends five years living in a Zen monastery and becomes a crime reporter with Japan's biggest newspaper ? Now THAT's an interesting story , and one I'd really like to read .
    • 093 4  This review is from : Tokyo Vice : An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan ( Hardcover ) I really lost it by the bottom of p . 85 : Saeki was stupefied by my balls . Thankfully , the author's intention was not literal , but it's difficult to read the sentence any other way . It's a pity because the premise of the book is excellent . As a foreign reporter Adelstein is able to describe daily and professional life in Japan in a way that is otherwise inaccessible for those without a serious fetish for the country . Anyone with an interest in the media , Japanese culture or politics , or general crime reporting will be interested in the subject of this book . The problem is that the book itself is not well written . Adelstein proudly recounts his feeling of accomplishment at being accepted as a full-time reporter for the Yomiuri , the largest newspaper in Japan . We too can imagine that pride at mastering a foreign language enough , not only to get by , but to adopt a writing profession . It's a shame therefore that Adelstein neglects learning to write in his native language . The book is peppered with quotes that would give a first-year writing student pause : On p . 65 I'm not sure why Takagi called me . It could have been my winning personality , or it could have been the tickets I'd gotten him to a Yomiuri Giants baseball game . It was probably the tickets . On p . 73 I-chan , I hate to leave you high and dry , but duty calls . And on , and on . It's as though the author had confused himself with someone named Bullitt , a hard-drinking , hard-smoking , hard-living - - just generally hard - - beat reporter Chicago , circa . 1920 . The tales are interesting enough without constant attempts to make living in Japan appear to be some strange sort of noir adventure . The book follows a general sort of stranger-in-a-strange-land expository narrative , which is interesting , and with self-aggrandizing tales , which are not . Autobiographies tend not to be written by modest folk , but Adelstein makes serving in the Japanese press corps appear to be some form of higher calling . Besides a competent editor , the book lacks any real compelling narrative or criticism . Adelstein refuses to engage in any direct criticism of Japanese reporting practices or police work , despite the glaring problems he uncovers . For those fans of true-crime stories you could certainly do worse than Tokyo Vice . If you're looking for any sort of critical or captivating analysis of Japanese reporting and crime , you'd do best to leave this one on the shelf .
    • 094 4  I really lost it by the bottom of p . 85 : Saeki was stupefied by my balls . Thankfully , the author's intention was not literal , but it's difficult to read the sentence any other way . It's a pity because the premise of the book is excellent . As a foreign reporter Adelstein is able to describe daily and professional life in Japan in a way that is otherwise inaccessible for those without a serious fetish for the country . Anyone with an interest in the media , Japanese culture or politics , or general crime reporting will be interested in the subject of this book . The problem is that the book itself is not well written . Adelstein proudly recounts his feeling of accomplishment at being accepted as a full-time reporter for the Yomiuri , the largest newspaper in Japan . We too can imagine that pride at mastering a foreign language enough , not only to get by , but to adopt a writing profession . It's a shame therefore that Adelstein neglects learning to write in his native language . The book is peppered with quotes that would give a first-year writing student pause : On p . 65 I'm not sure why Takagi called me . It could have been my winning personality , or it could have been the tickets I'd gotten him to a Yomiuri Giants baseball game . It was probably the tickets . On p . 73 I-chan , I hate to leave you high and dry , but duty calls . And on , and on . It's as though the author had confused himself with someone named Bullitt , a hard-drinking , hard-smoking , hard-living - - just generally hard - - beat reporter Chicago , circa . 1920 . The tales are interesting enough without constant attempts to make living in Japan appear to be some strange sort of noir adventure . The book follows a general sort of stranger-in-a-strange-land expository narrative , which is interesting , and with self-aggrandizing tales , which are not . Autobiographies tend not to be written by modest folk , but Adelstein makes serving in the Japanese press corps appear to be some form of higher calling . Besides a competent editor , the book lacks any real compelling narrative or criticism . Adelstein refuses to engage in any direct criticism of Japanese reporting practices or police work , despite the glaring problems he uncovers . For those fans of true-crime stories you could certainly do worse than Tokyo Vice . If you're looking for any sort of critical or captivating analysis of Japanese reporting and crime , you'd do best to leave this one on the shelf .

Global Market ( in english )

midi, music score     livejournal taktak0 blog