Tokyo Noir

In and out of Japan's Underworld

De: Jake Adelstein

Narrado por: Jake Adelstein, Shoko Plambeck

A darkly comic sequel to Tokyo Vice that is equal parts history lesson, true-crime exposé, and memoir.

It’s 2008, and it’s been a while since Jake Adelstein was the only gaijin crime reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun. The global economy is in shambles, Jake is off the police beat but still chain-smoking clove cigarettes, and Tadamasa Goto, the most powerful boss in the Japanese organized crime world, has been banished from the yakuza, giving Adelstein one less enemy to worry about—for the time being. But as he puts his life back together, he discovers that he may be no match for his greatest enemy—himself.

And Adelstein has a different gig these days: due diligence work, or using his investigative skills to dig up information on entities whose bosses would prefer that some things stay hidden.

The underworld isn’t what it used to be. Underneath layers of paperwork, corporations are thinly veiled fronts for the yakuza. Pachinko parlors are a hidden battleground between disenfranchised Korean, Japanese, and North Korean extortion plots. TEPCO, the electric power corporation keeping the lights on for all of Tokyo, scrambles to hide its willful oversights that ultimately led to the 2011 Fukushima meltdown. And the Japanese government shows levels of corruption that make the yakuza look like philanthropists in comparison. All this is punctuated by personal tragedies no one could have seen coming.

In this ambitious and riveting work, Jake Adelstein explores what it’s like when you’re in too deep to distinguish the story you chase from the life you live.

©2024 Jake Adelstein (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

A great ride!

I always enjoy Jake’s insights, humor and narration. This book is a joy just like Tokyo Vice was. I can’t wait to listen to The Last Yakuza.

Jake Adelstein's story is wildly entertaining

I have listened to every one of Jake Adelstein's audiobooks and his presentation style is as compelling as the actual story he is telling. Aside from his personal reminiscences, all of which are shared with the candor and emotion that only a first-person can convey, the historical/factual portions of the story appear to be well researched and contribute valuable context to the story. I would love to spend a long weekend talking with this guy and suspect that would still only touch the surface of his incredibly rich life.

Excellent, heartbreaking continuation

Two Jake Adelstein books in one year? In some solipsistic way, I feel like this is proof there is a God and he loves me.

Tokyo Vice is an all time favorite book and I've revisites it on multiple occasions. Both The Last Yakuza and Tokyo Noir are excellent follow ups. Jake has really lived a one of a kind life for a gaijin and his knowledge and insights into the Japanese business, political and underworlds is incomparable. I want to read the exposes his colleagues wrote that were mentioned in this book as well.

par for the course

I've listened to all of his books and all of them are examples of perfect writing and even better performance; and absolute pleasure to listen to this book.

Fabulous narration by the Author Himself

If you enjoyed Tokyo Vice, you will enjoy this one even more!

This is an older, wiser, Jake Adelstein. It is enjoyable as a personal memoir, but it also teaches one a lot and is infused with Jake's sense of humor. Jake is a fabulous narrator--he is convincing as himself, and Shoko Plambeck does a great job reading for Michelle Brandt.

Can't recommend this one highly enough.

A personal story

Great story of real life experiences in Japan. A journey and an adventure that we can relate to

The portion about Michelle stood out the most.

Love your work, Adelstein. Congrats on the priesthood. Big fan. God bless your life! Cheers!

The Author in your Ear

In Tokyo Noir, there are bad guys, journalists asking important questions, and innocent people caught in a path of injustice leading to faith-shaking tragedy. Tokyo Noir mirrors a raw, vulnerable, and compelling story of Tokyo, and one man’s journey navigating it over the last 40 years. Beginning where Tokyo Vice left off, this book aims to educate readers further on the often unseen and unspoken underworld of Japan while tying up loose ends from the previous novel.

Since visiting Japan in 2016, many of the questions I’ve had since then were answered here. Chapters flew by, with both introductory and in-depth explanations of tightly kept secrets hidden in plain sight. Giving a 101 on hot topics like the mistreatment of Koreans in Japan, the Yakuza, and nuclear power after Fukushima, Jake Adelstine juggles his new identity as a private investigator while revealing his own life with admirably brave honesty. Jake may have never made it as a stand-up comedian, but his attempts at keeping an otherwise extremely heavy book light highlight the personality of the man behind the words.

I do believe that, no matter how many reservations one may have about Jake or his book, it is an incredibly powerful, educational, and sentimental timepiece. One can’t help but respect Jake’s humility, honesty, and bravery. It’s an inspiration to me and a book I will refer to often—a compelling read that I finished as soon as I picked it up. I’d recommend Tokyo Noir and Tokyo Vice to anyone interested in journalism, truth, and Japan (and anyone upset that Tokyo Vice the TV show didn’t get a season 3). This is a must-read book. 10/10.

Great followup to Tokyo Vice!

Jake’s work is illuminating and fascinating, while being immensely informative and entertaining. As with his other books, I feel I’ve been let in on a side of Japan’s history that isn’t very well known outside of the country.

Highly recommend!

Jake with another fantastic book

Any book or podcast by Jake Adelstein is always fantastic. Each story told is great and I really loved the personal connection in this book. It really comes through with it narrated by him.