Tokyo Vice
An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan
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Tokyo Vice
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Narrated by:
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Jake Adelstein
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Written by:
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Jake Adelstein
About this listen
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 HouseYou may also enjoy...
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 21
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19
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What the critics say
“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
What listeners say about Tokyo Vice
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sam
- 2018-09-13
A unique perspective on life and crime in Japan
well written and well narrated book that provides insight into both organized crime in Japan as well as corporate life, and a Foreigner's experience truly living in Japan.
Worth listening to.
#Audible1
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-02-26
Listen to this NOW!
Found this book because of Adelstein's podcast THE EVAPORATED: 神隠し(かみかくし）GONE WITH THE GODS.
I was listening to this over the course of about a week, I had to rewind a few time because I didn't want to miss anything. Adelstein doesn't waste anytime and throws you right into the stories, connecting all the pieces into an easily digestable manner like your with him during the investigations; in saying that, nothing Adelstein does or happens to him is predicatable; honestly take it slow with this one.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aaron Domingue
- 2024-08-29
Interesting listen
A very interesting listen about the reporting and crime subculture in Japan. I will definitely revisit this book again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alexander Jackson
- 2022-01-02
A Look Into Life, and Lessons, in Japan
Do yourself a favour and listen to this book.
The author himself, Mr. Adelstein, narrates the book, and he does a superb job. Initially I believed he came off dry, a bit less 'punchy' than I might have originally imagined, but as he told the stories of his time as a reporter in Japan and the people he met, it became clear to me that this audiobook is a man being frank.
There are several moments which shocked me in this book, and they are told in a matter-of-fact way. Mr. Adelstein certainly feels a certain way about his experiences, but he writes and speaks about them much like the articles he wrote while on the beat. Only at the end of this beautiful book did I truly understand the meaning behind it all.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone. Whether you are interested in Japanese culture, the experience of being a reporter, or just want to hear some damn good non-fiction, pick this one up.
Thank you, Mr. Adelstein.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A
- 2022-08-30
Japanese culture and crime
If you are interested in Japan and crime, this is a great read. The narration by the author is really good. I question some of his decision making, but he is brutally honest and seems to be open to the idea that he may not have behaved the best. Minor issue is that the chapters breaks do not line up and are kind of random. Overall a great choice and recommended.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Maxwell
- 2022-05-17
Better than HBO
Came to listen to this after starting the Tokyo Vice show on HBO. After a few hours this story proceeded to become the better one between the two, as the fictionalized story doesn't hold a candle to the real one that it was based on.
In regards to this audiobook, I find the author narrates amazingly. I've listened to several books narrated by their author and this one truly gains from it. Jake's own personal opinions really shine through his experiences, and the pace of the story picks up off of that.
My only gripe about this audiobook, and perhaps even the book itself is the pace in the last act. we go from very fast moment to moment action in the first acts, to have it come to a significantly slower pace when the final article is about to be published on the surgeries.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- jon
- 2023-04-19
A fascinating and brutal tale of the Yakuza
This book is a fascinating look at the Japanese underground. Both an extremely unique perspective and a haunting and brutal tale of injustice and the horrible acts of men in the world of Japanese organized crime.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bannister Bergen
- 2018-10-18
A one in a million point of view
A must listen for anyone curious about Japan and/or Japanese culture. Jake Adelstein provides the perfect narration to his own immersive and engaging story.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- ishmael daro
- 2018-07-02
good book, bad narration
I really enjoyed this book but the author should NOT have read his own work. Adelstein's reading made it very tough to follow, with lots of slurring, dropped consonants, and other verbal tics that distracted from the memoir. If the audiobook is ever re-recorded with a different (professional) reader, it would get my full endorsement.
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