Eikaiwa Underworld: Lessons Taught, Lessons Learned
By Jason Gray Early 2004. When teaching conversational English, at least in Japan, fascinating students are a rarity. This isn’t necessarily because there aren’t interesting people who want to learn…
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…
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…
Homes and hotels during the recession
The talented Hiroko Tabuchi of the New York Times published an article recently focusing on a group of Japanese people who have been forced out of their homes and into…
Thank You For The Kind Letters About TOKYO VICE (from Jake)
I’ve been heartened by a huge number of letters I’ve received in the last three weeks from people who read the book and were moved by it, inspired by it,…
Be Nice to the Yakuza, Or Else
Another amusing educational lesson by jake Adelstein for Publishing Perspectives, this time about the vital (literally) rules of being a yakuza reporter! So, you want to become a Gokudokisha 極道記者,…
The Strange World of Yakuza Fan Magazines
It figures that something like this would be coming, since he is such an avid collector of the things, but Jake has written a detailed rundown of magazines published by…
Ozawa's Angels — will they kick ass or pour tea?
A much-talked-about article with a slightly misleading headline about some lucky young ladies who were hand-picked by former DPJ president Ichiro Ozawa and ushered into seats of power. NAGOYA, Japan…
Marijuana (大麻） in Japan：Don't Smoke More Than You Can Eat
Unlike speed （覚醒剤）it's not a crime to use it, only to possess it
Amazon Japan Says Goodbye to Covert Child Porn
In the Empire of Child Pornography: AMAZON JAPAN REMOVES CHILD PORN FROM THEIR WEBSITE May 2009 by Jake Adelstein and Polaris Project Japan “Idols” in Japan refer to pin-up girls,…