'Sacred, ferocious, and businesslike, Adelstein describes the Japanese mafia like nobody else' Roberto Saviano, on Tokyo Vice Makoto Saigo is half-American and half-Japanese in small-town Japan with a set of talents limited to playing guitar and picking fights. With rock stardom off the table, he turns toward the only place where you can start from the bottom and move up through sheer merit, loyalty, and brute force - the yakuza. Saigo, nicknamed "Tsunami", quickly realizes that even within the organization, opinions are as varied as they come, and a clash of philosophies can quickly become deadly. One screw-up can cost you your life, or at least a finger. The internal politics of the yakuza are dizzyingly complex, and between the ever-shifting web of alliances and the encroaching hand of the law that pushes them further and further underground, Saigo finds himself in the middle of a defining decades-long battle that will determine the future of the yakuza. Written with the insight of an expert on Japanese organized crime and the compassion of a longtime friend, investigative journalist Jake Adelstein presents a sprawling biography of a yakuza, through post-war desperation, to bubble-era optimism, to the present. Including a cast of memorable yakuza bosses - Coach, The Buddha, and more - this is a story about the rise and fall of a man, a country, and a dishonest but sometimes honorable way of life on the brink of being lost.

'Sacred, ferocious, and businesslike, Adelstein describes the Japanese mafia like nobody else.' Roberto Saviano, on Tokyo Vice When acclaimed journalist Jake Adelstein hires a former Yakuza boss, known as the 'Tsunami', to be his driver and bodyguard, he soon finds himself swept into the violent heart of Tokyo's organised crime syndicates. From gambling rackets and ritualised killings, to the forbidden pleasures of 'soapland', Adelstein's unlikely friendship with the 'Tsunami' gains him unprecedented access to the Yakuza - now under threat after years of tacit acceptance from Japanese society. But in a culture that prizes loyalty and honour above all else, how far can they go in their quest for truth about Tokyo's criminal underworld? A riveting history of the Japanese mafia, featuring an unforgettable cast of supporting characters, The Last Yakuza is an electrifying - but ultimately uplifting - story of one man's life of crime. 'Terrific, expertly told and highly entertaining.' George Pelecanos, on Tokyo Vice

A riveting true-life tale of newspaper noir and Japanese organized crime from an American investigative journalist.
Jake Adelstein is the only American journalist ever to have been admitted to the insular Tokyo Metropolitan Police Press Club, where for twelve years he covered the dark side of Japan: extortion, murder, human trafficking, fiscal corruption, and of course, the yakuza. But when his final scoop exposed a scandal that reverberated all the way from the neon soaked streets of Tokyo to the polished Halls of the FBI and resulted in a death threat for him and his family, Adelstein decided to step down. Then, he fought back. In "Tokyo Vice" he delivers an unprecedented look at Japanese culture and searing memoir about his rise from cub reporter to seasoned journalist with a price on his head.

Tokyo Stroll is for travelers who want to wander the streets and discover the city as it unfolds before their eyes. Select neighborhoods are profiled with detailed maps identifying locations and landmarks of interest. There is no "start at point A and go to point B" prescribed route. Instead readers are encouraged to wander as whimsy takes them. Food, shopping, and sights at every turn are provided with descriptions and over 150 maps to aid discovery. Includes detailed notes on etiquette, money, and travel. Indexed.

A riveting true-life tale of newspaper noir and Japanese organised crime from an American investigative journalist. Now a Max Original Series on HBO Max ---------- EITHER ERASE THE STORY, OR WE'LL ERASE YOU. AND MAYBE YOUR FAMILY. BUT WE'LL DO THEM FIRST, SO YOU LEARN YOUR LESSON BEFORE YOU DIE. From the only American journalist ever to have been admitted to the insular Tokyo Metropolitan Police press club: a unique, first-hand, revelatory look at Japanese culture from the underbelly up. At nineteen, Jake Adelstein went to Japan in search of peace and tranquility. What he got was a life of crime . . . crime reporting, that is, at the prestigious Yomiuri Shinbun. Working eighty-hour weeks for twelve years, he covered the seedy side of Japan, where extortion, murder, human trafficking and corruption are as familiar as ramen noodles and sake. But when his final scoop brought him face-to-face with Japan's most infamous yakuza boss - and the threat of death for him and his family - Adelstein decided to step down . . . momentarily. Then, he fought back. With its visceral descriptions and detailed exploration of the modern-day yakuza, Tokyo Vice is a deeply thought-provoking book: equal parts cultural expose, true crime and hard-boiled noir. 'Expertly told and highly entertaining' GEORGE PELECANOS, writer and producer of The Wire 'Sacred, ferocious, and businesslike, Adelstein describes the Japanese mafia like nobody else' ROBERTO SAVIANO, author of Gomorrah 'Gripping and absorbing . . . A terrifying, deeply moral story that you cannot put down' MISHA GLENNY, author of McMafia