Tokyo vice
by Jake Adelstein · first published 2009
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Firsthand account of a Western reporter working the police vice beat in Japan, giving an eye-opening look at the yakuza and the underworld; recommended for readers curious about organized crime in Japan.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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…Formula" - Mark Roberge - I'd recommend this to any entrepreneur. "Status Anxiety" - Alain de Botton - A pretty good pop scienc-y psychology book. "Zero to One" - Peter Thiel - A philosophy book imo. "Tokyo Vice" - Jake Adelstein - A look at the underbelly of Japanese society. "Capitalism and the Jews" - Jerry Muller - A very good overview of the intersection of the Jewish faith and culture with their business…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein is a good read for those interested in this scene.
on “The Yakuza and the Cause of the Yamaguchi-Gumi Split” ↗If you want to learn more about the yakuza, I recommend "Tokyo Vice" by Jake Adelstein.
on “Yakuza” ↗Tokyo Vice by Jake Adlestein [1] It's the story of a foreigner working as a serious reporter in Japan. He finds that the US government has been essentially selling organs to the Yakuza crime lords. No, really!…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?” ↗Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein. It’s an old book but I have no idea of Japan’s underworld until I read this book. I’m not sure of how true everything in there was but it was pretty interesting.
on “Ask HN: Which are the most interesting books you have read in 2022?” ↗Related to this subject, people might find _Tokyo Vice_ interesting/disturbing: http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Vice-American-Reporter-Police/dp... It's by a reporter who worked the vice beat in Japan for years.
on “Craigslist Censored: Adult Section Comes Down” ↗The article cites Jake Adelstein and his book "Tokyo Vice", which is a good review of the Yakuza from a western perspective. He also contributes regularly at http://www.japansubculture.com/, which also features a lot of insight.
on “Why so little looting in Japan? It's not just about honesty.” ↗I've heard good things about "Tokyo Vice" by Jake Adelstein: http://amzn.com/0307475298
on “Why so little looting in Japan? It's not just about honesty.” ↗…driven underground. Personally, I think that will make them more like organized crime in other countries - more violent and more willing to involve normal people. If you're interested in the subject Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein is a good read. So is Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter by Shoko Tendo.
on “Yakuza” ↗Jake Adelstein's book Tokyo Vice was an eye opener in this regard. The amount of effort the cops put into a case has a lot to do with the victim. Non-white foreigners and gangsters aren't worth a lot of trouble, e.g. if they find a…
on “As crime dries up, Japan’s police hunt for things to do” ↗Related, "Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan" by by Jake Adelstein is absolutely fascinating. So too is the drama produced by HBO based on the book, but I am partial to the book. Adelstein becomes…
on “The world of Yakuza fan magazines (2009)” ↗…Talent Code Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion Non-fiction: Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended) The Science of Fear The Black Swan Tokyo Vice Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool) books by Daniel Pink Guns, Germs, and Steel The Prize by Daniel Yergin Fantasy: Anything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much. EDIT: links to…
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗> I was told by Jake Adelstein, one of the leading experts on drugs and crime in Japan, and the author of the book Tokyo Vice. He must be _really_ good to rank above all the experts who are from Japan. OTOH, while Japan may have failed to produce leading experts on drugs and crime in Japan, they seem to be doing pretty decently…
on “The drug debate in Japan (2018)” ↗So a dash of soy sauce for anybody reading this article without some familiarity with the background: Jake Adelstein is a reporter who shot to fame with his book "Tokyo Vice", which is about being the first Western reporter to cover the crime beat at a Japanese newspaper, not a small achievement. However, in the five years since, Jake's articles have been basically all yakuza…
on “A Dangerous and Costly Photo in Japan” ↗This is an awesome article! Has anybody here read that Tokyo Vice book?
on “Yakuza 3 reviewed by Yakuza” ↗