Upcoming event: Tokyo Vice book talk at Temple University
Just a heads up for those in the Tokyo area: Jake Adelstein will be giving a book talk for Tokyo Vice, possibly including the reading of an unpublished chapter, at…
The Invisible Yakuza And Those That See Them
Maybe it seems like we glorify the yakuza on this website, and perhaps we do a little. But they are called 暴力団 (boryoku-dan –violent groups) by the police for a…
The joys of having people wanting to kill you and other thoughts: ABC interview (Australia)
Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on The Police Beat In Japan was released in Australia this month with a wonderfully bizarre cover–dead fish in an icebox. The title was also…
Jello shots hit Japan–finally!
Almost any American who went to a few parties during their university days will be slightly familiar with the ubiquitous Jello shot, and Wikipedia tells me they exist in a…
We take bullets very seriously. Even the fake ones. Part 1.
A few weeks ago, I had to go apologize to a yakuza boss. Always a scary thing, especially when you’re in the wrong. He had agreed to help out with…
Yamaguchi-gumi using pre-paid internet to sell child pornography?
According to an organized crime watchdog, police in Wakayama Prefecture have uncovered a child pornography ring that was able to set up a website selling DVDs by abusing the anonymity…
24-Hour Tokyo: Tokyo Government To Run Subway Line All Night?!! Scoop!
There is serious talk in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government of running the city managed subway systems Toei Chikatetsu（都営地下鉄) 24 hours a day when Haneda Airport opens to more international flights…