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chwaters's review against another edition
5.0
OK, to be completely honest, I'm a friend of the author, so I might be a bit biased in my assessment of this book. That being said, it's an awesome book. Jake manages to create a compelling and cohesive narrative out of his utterly insane experiences as a reporter in Japan. It works, and not just on the subject level. It works as literature too, and that might be its biggest triumph.
brucemak's review against another edition
4.0
At times heartbreaking, at times narcissistic, Tokyo Vice offers a unique view in Japan's underworld during the 2000's. I highly recommend the book to any interested in true crime, journalism, or Japanese history.
riahforbes's review against another edition
3.0
I expected to be on-the-edge-of-my-seat enthralled for the entirety of this book, but I only sort of felt that way for the last chapter or so. While the actual content is crazy, the writing style didn't really draw me in - I felt more like I was reading a novel-length newspaper article.
recoveryclap's review against another edition
2.0
the entire time I was reading this I was like ok maybe I'm getting closer to the Depths of the Yakuza TM
but all I got was a book abt a dudes sex life in Japan, sort of
but all I got was a book abt a dudes sex life in Japan, sort of
starcrunch's review against another edition
3.0
I'm surprised I read this to the end. I found the topic to be pretty interesting, but the storytelling style a little long winded and somewhat off-putting. I didn't find the yakuza stuff (which was like 40% of the book) all that interesting. The author may have been a good reporter, but he does indeed come off seeming like an asshole.
anatl's review against another edition
4.0
I'm still not sure what to make of this book, but I'm giving it 4/5 for being absolutely riveting.
shaunabdilla's review against another edition
4.0
A tad Americanised, but a driving, interesting read with insights into the Yakuza and several aspects of Japanese culture.
viviorchid's review
3.0
I feel the writer is more interested in showing how cool he is than the subjects he writes on, it was interesting to read his perspective on the Lucie Blackman case after reading 'People who eat darkness' beforehand. There are some interesting stories in here, if you can look past the style of writing.
juliecohen's review against another edition
4.0
Geeky American Jewish guy (he looks a bit like Adam Sandler in his Amazon photo) goes to Japan, learns some Zen stuff, learns Japanese, manages to get a job working for one of the largest Japanese newspapers, and covers the police beat. Learns a lot about Japanese culture, Japanese vice. Gets in some trouble. Tells his story in an interesting, engaging, informative way, with only occasional annoying references to his sexual prowess.[return][return]I liked this book a lot. Overall, it was well written and interestingly structured (for non-fiction). There were some minor annoyances, but those were fairly easily ignored. Mostly, I found it really informative, even interrupting the football games to read a few passages out loud. Most interesting to me was how Adelstein for the most part seemed to integrate into Japanese culture, but still kept his Americanness and used it when it would help, which led to many interesting observations of Japanese society/culture from both an “insider” and an “outsider”.
aykdanroyd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
3.75