Tokyo Vice

An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan

By: Jake Adelstein

Narrated by: Jake Adelstein

Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

From the only American journalist ever to have been admitted to the insular Tokyo Metropolitan Police press club: a unique, firsthand, 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. For twelve years of eighty-hour workweeks, 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.In Tokyo Vice, Adelstein tells the riveting, often humorous tale of his journey from an inexperienced cub reporter—who made rookie mistakes like getting into a martial-arts battle with a senior editor—to a daring, investigative journalist with a price on his head.

With its vivid, visceral descriptions of crime in Japan and an exploration of the world of modern-day yakuza that even few Japanese ever see, Tokyo Vice is a fascination, and an education, from first to last.

©2009 Jake Adelstein (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

“Groundbreaking reporting on the yakuza. . . . Adelstein shares juicy, salty, and occasionally funny anecdotes, but many are frightening. . . . Adelstein doesn’t lack for self-confidence . . . but beneath the bravado are a big heart and a relentless drive for justice.”--The Boston Globe

“Gripping. . . . [Adelstein’s] vividly detailed account of investigations into the shadowy side of Japan shows him to be more enterprising, determined and crazy than most. . . . In some of the freshest pages of the book, our unlikely hero tells us about his initiation into the seamy, tough-guy Japan beneath the public courtesies,. . . . Adelstein builds his stories with as much surprise and grit as any Al Pacino or Mark Wahlberg movie, blurring the lines between the cops, the crooks and even the journalists. . . . Tokyo Vice is often so snappy and quotable that it sounds as if it were a treatment for a Scorsese movie set in Queens. Yet the facts beneath the noirish lines are assembled with what looks to be ferocious diligence and resourcefulness. For even as he is getting slapped around by thugs and placed under police protection, Adelstein never loses his gift for crisp storytelling and an unexpectedly earnest eagerness to try to rescue the damned.”—Pico Iyer, Time

"A journalist's memoir unlike any I've ever read."--Dave Davies, Fresh Air

A Look Behind the Chrysanthemum Screen

Jake Adelstein gives an engaging and interesting look into life in the underworld of Japan's capital--something that few Japanese reporters are willing to expose and even fewer foreigners are allowed to glimpse. Having lived in Japan for over 15 years, I remember some of the things Adelstein reports on and it was great to get the real story behind the news.
The author's narration was not as gripping as a professional narrator may have produced but the large number of Japanese words might have given a non-Japanese speaker trouble. Adelstein's choice to ensure that words and names were pronounced correctly overcame any deficiencies which came up due to his amateur narration. (Personally, hearing words or names pronounced incorrectly seriously distracts from my focus on the story.)

If you're interested in Japan or in journalism, this book is a must-read. I strongly recommend this book.

One of the best news/true crime experiences

Jake Adelstein's Tokyo Vice is one of the best non-fiction pieces on the life of a foreign reporter working the Tokyo crime beat in the 1990s-2000s. As a bonus, he also happens to be a great narrator, delivering the book in a conversational tone that makes it easy to follow and comprehend Japanese vocabulary. For fans of "People Who Eat Darkness" this offers another perspective on the Lucy Blackmon case from someone who was on the ground covering it when it happened. A fascinating journey. Hopefully, Adelstein will do more narration.

NAIL BITER!

I couldn't but it down, I listened to it all in one go and then another time after to make sure I didn't miss anything. you'll learn a lot about japanese culture and Jake's incredible experience throughout his time in Japan. Makes me miss it over there💯

Ever wondered about Japan's seedy underside ?

Loved it. I was entertained and saddened, shocked and angered, all while feeling a bit guilty for enjoying what has to have been, at points, no less than a nightmare for the writer and those closest to him.
Arigato, Jake-san.

I had to read this book for a class, but wow!

I loved this book. Compelling and it kept me hooked. I learned much about Japan.

Great and fast paced book

Would be very interesting to fans of books on crime, gangs, and the seedier side of Japan

Many tales, all interesting

What made the experience of listening to Tokyo Vice the most enjoyable?

A deep insight into the world of Japanese gangsters and a reporters life in late night
Toyko. Conversations with top Japanese gang leaders, real stories including the
liver transplants at UCLA and the true job of a "club hostess"

entertaing as heck

loved it listened to it in 2 days. I recommend it if you like crime and Japanese culture.

Great story, poor narration

I love the book, it gave a great perspective to Japanese journalism, police, and the Yakuza. That said, the narration was extremely amateur, and at times had an odd rhythm.

Still worth listening to or reading.

If you love Japanese culture you will love this

Tokyo vice is by far one of the best books I’ve read this year. The narration is perfect, story is deep and the by far one of the best listening experiences I’ve had.
Tokyo vice is about an American working as a reporter for a well known news company. The story takes you for a ride in the underworld of Tokyo hidden deep within the surface of Japanese culture.
You will experience Yakuza, Japanese hustle and more.

You will not regret reading or listening to this.