Tokyo Underworld: The Fast Times and Hard Life of an American Gangster in Japan

After the war the city and the whole country was in economic and political turmoil that was a perfect breeding ground for a thriving black market and the devious and often violent tactics of the yakuza.   Illegal gambling, prostitution and professional wrestling were just a few of the enterprises that Zapetti dabbled in during the turbulent era that was 1950′s Japan.  Zapetti found himself dealing with nefarious characters, multiple marriages, a number of lawsuits, some jail time and finally failing health and the loss of the pizza restaurant that was once the place to go for expatriates, ballplayers and pretty much anyone who was anyone in Tokyo at the time.

Whiting’s detailed research is woven into a story that is hard to put down and sheds light on the thinking of the Japanese people and what the governments of both the United States and Japan were willing to turn a blind eye to in the name of economic and social recovery of Japan.

A movie of Tokyo Underworld: The Fast Times and Hard Life of an American Gangster in Japan has been in the works for some time and Whiting recently told the Japan Times that “a resolution is in sight and Martin Scorsese says he is going to direct it.”

Whiting is also working on a sequel to Tokyo Underworld based on the life of Ted Lewin.

“He was a former heavyweight boxer from New York who also had a really good mind for numbers,” Whiting reveals. “He was a natural gambler and knew Meyer Lansky, who sent him to Asia to open clubs for the mafia.”

“He went to Shanghai and Manila before the war and when Japan invaded the Philippines, he enlisted in the army,” Whiting continued. “He was captured and took part in the Bataan Death March. He was held in a camp outside Manila and taught Japanese officers how to gamble, and, as a result, got special privileges.”

Source: Baseball expert lines up new book on mobsters in Japan

Robert Whiting make his home in Tokyo and also wrote You Gotta Have Wa and equally interesting look a the world of Japanese professional baseball.

Tokyo Underworld offers insight in the formation of Japan as we now know it based on the experiences of her people during the turbulent 1950′s and is just one of the selections highlighted in our new Books on Japan Amazon store.

Read a good book about Japan before you travel and your trip will be enriched.  I have found that to be the case over and over again during my time here – I gain a little nugget of insight from each book I read about Japan, or by a Japanese author, whether it is fiction or non-fiction and so will you!

Thomas Kirchner, spent the last 10 years working on the translation of The Record of Linji based on work that was started by legendary Zen master Shigetsu Sasaki (1882-1945).  The work was taken up after his death by his wife, Ruth Fuller Sasaki, who moved from the United States to Japan in 1949 and assembled a team of talented young scholars, both Japanese and Western, to continue work on this important, and some say definitive, translation.  With her death in 1967, the translation work was derailed until Kirchner picked up where she left off in 1998.

“A compilation of the recorded sermons, statements, and acts attributed to the great master Linji Yixuan (d. 866), it serves as both an authoritative statement of Zen’s basic standpoint and a central koan text for the Linji school of Zen. Scholars regard it as important for understanding not only Zen thought but also Mahayana doctrine and East Asian thought in general, while Zen practitioners find a unique appeal in its unusual simplicity, directness, and ability to inspire.”

Source: International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism at Hanazono University – Book Dust Jacket

“The book even explains the relationship between Zen and Chinese Confucianism and Taoism. That kind of background information can help people better understand Zen and Buddhism” says Kirchner, who now serves as caretaker of Rinsenji Temple on the grounds of  Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto.  He is also a researcher at the International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism at Hanazono University.

Purchase The Record of Linji today through Amazon.

Thanks to all that participated in the first ever give-away at The Nihon Sun.  It is my pleasure to announce that Andrew from Colorado has won his very own copy of Arcade Mania! The Turbo Charged World of Japan’s Game Centers.

Andrew is in the arcade game repair and sales business has an interest in the book as a fan and a businessman.  He response on being notified of his win:

“I am very surprised to win and looking forward to learning more about arcade game centers in Japan!”

If you didn’t win take some time to read my review of Arcade Mania! and you purchase a copy of Arcade Mania: The Turbo-charged World of Japan’s Game Centers for your library by clicking the preceding text or the front cover image on the right.

Once again, I would like to thank Jean Snow who contributed to the book, provided quotes for this article, and worked with the publisher, Kodansha International Limited, to provide The Nihon Sun with a copy for one lucky reader to win.

More give-aways are in the works so subscribe to The Nihon Sun RSS feed or subscribe by email to find out the details as they are announced.

Cover Image Courtesy of Jean Snow and Kodansha International Limited

Today I’m going to test you on Arcade Mania! trivia and tell you how you can win a copy of this book from Jean Snow, Kodansha International Limited and The Nihon Sun.

How well do you know the video game scene in Japan?  Can you answer these Arcade Mania! trivia questions?

1. What were game centers in Japan called in the late 1970′s?
2. What is the name of the Japanese comic art that is featured in many of today’s arcade games?
3. What are the scribbles that are made on sticker pictures from game centers in Japan called?

All you need to do is answer these three questions correctly and include the name of your favorite arcade game, retro or current, in the comments and you will be entered to win – it’s that simple!

Hint:  You may want to read The Nihon Sun’s review of Arcade Mania! to learn more about this book and why you want a copy of it for your library.

The deadline for entries is December 16, 2008 and the winner will be chosen randomly with Random.org and contacted by email.  If no response is received within 48 hours we will pick a new winner so double check your email address before you submit your entry.    The winner will be announced by The Nihon Sun during the week of December 21st.

The Nihon Sun would like to thank Jean Snow and Kodansha International Limited for providing a copy of Arcade Mania! for this contest.

More give-aways are in the works so subscribe to The Nihon Sun RSS feed or subscribe by email to find out the details as they are announced.

Good luck! or Gambate kudasai! as they say in Japan.

Cover Image Courtesy of Jean Snow and Kodansha International Limited

Game centers, or arcades, are ubiquitous in Japan – they can be found in almost every neighborhood and cater to all ages from young women and Japanese schoolgirls who can’t get enough of the sticker picture machines to the boys who aim to be the best shot in a variety of shooting games.  Younger kids can be found trying their hand at traditional Taiko drumming to modern melodies and salarymen, and even women, can be found placing their bets at Mahjong or one of many other popular betting games despite the fact that gambling is technically illegal in Japan.  Arcade Mania! covers the whole scene by providing insights from game designers, top Japanese gamers and even a few foreign experts who are hooked on the game centers in Japan.

“Arcade Mania! offers a glimpse into a world not a lot of people know still exists. Arcades have, for the most part, disappeared in North America, and yet in Japan you find them everywhere. Acrade Mania! offers readers a virtual tour of a modern Japanese arcade and shows you how and why that happened….”

Jean Snow on Arcade Mania!

If you are of a certain age, you may remember playing games like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong in your local arcade, thousands of mile away from their origin in the minds of Japanese designers like Tomohiro Nishikado who created Space Invaders in 1978, the first game that was not played against a clock but offered players three lives.  The game became so popular that game centers in Japan were originally called “invader house” in Japanese and caused a national 100 Yen coin shortage!

“I like going to game centers, and I usually go to Taito Hey! in Akihabara when I’m in that neighborhood, or to Sega Gigo in Ikebukuro near my home. I try to keep my visits down to once a week, and the one game I always make a point of playing these days is a side-scrolling shooter called Deathsmiles. My favorite retro game, the game I remember enjoying the most in arcades when I was young was Spy Hunter, but I haven’t played it in a very long time…”

The game center experience in Japan has changed a lot with the advancement of technology.  From games that were limited to black backgrounds to virtual people that resemble characters from Japanese manga (comic books), today you can even customize your sticker pictures by scribbling on an LCD screen and creating what is know as rakugaki.   It’s hard to image what will come next but Japan’s game designers are sure to come up with innovative games that will amaze and entertain us all far into in the future.

Arcade Mania! is a great book for those that love the video game scene and want to learn more about its history, appeal in Japan and why game centers remain on the scene here long after they have disappeared elsewhere in the world.

A big thank you goes out to Jean Snow who contributed to the book, provided quotes for this article, and worked with the publisher, Kodansha International Limited, to provide The Nihon Sun with a copy for one lucky reader to win!

Do you want to add this great book to your library?  Purchase Arcade Mania: The Turbo-charged World of Japan’s Game Centers today or answer some arcade trivia from the book to win a copy of Arcade Mania! by clicking here.

Cover Image Courtesy of Jean Snow and Kodansha International Limited

“Hanshichi” is that rare example of Japanese detective fiction that provides both a view of life in feudal Japan from the perspective of the period between the First and Second World Wars and an insight into the development of the fledging Japanese crime novel.From The Japan Times, “Prewar detective classic looks back at the mean streets of feudal Japan“

Inspector Hanshichi’s crime solving adventures are set in the 1890′s, a time when many older Japanese people had not entirely adjusted to the great changes that occurred in the previous decades with the restoration of the emperor and the increasing interest in western culture that resulted.  Like his character, Kido Okamoto, the son of a samurai, struggled to adjust to the changes taking place in modern Japan.

Inspector Hanshichi solved crime in many areas of Edo but spent most of his time Shitaya, an area north of the Kanda River and south of Ueno’s Shinobazu Pond, near the Myojin Shrine, Nihonbashi, Kyobashi (in the heart of today’s Ginza) and Hatchobori.

Each installment consists of a brief prelude in which the young narrator visits old Hanshichi at his home in Akasaka (often on some special occasion such as a festival), whereupon the latter launches into a story of one of his past exploits; this is followed by a conclusion in which old Hanshichi sums things up and makes a brief pronouncement on how times have changed.

From The Japan Times, “A Tale of Two Cities“

Okamoto wrote a total of sixty-nine stories and he brings the past to life with vivid characters including lecherous monks, shady con men, murderous ronin (masterless samurai), greedy merchants, and the threat posed by foreign “barbarians” that faced the city’s residents.

Starting December 2, 2008, consecutive installations from the book will appear in The Japan Times every week, from Tuesday to Saturday.  At the time of writing I have yet to see any of the stories online so assume that they are only available in the print version of The Japan Times.  However, the English translation of “The Curious Casebook of Inspector Hanshichi” is available through Amazon by clicking on the link below.

To learn more about Kido Okamoto and the history and setting of “The Curious Casebook of Inspector Hanshichi” you will enjoy reading the detailed introduction to the serialization of ‘Inspector Hanschichi’ prepared by The Japan Times.

If you are looking for more Japan related reading material, be sure to visit the Japan Reading Room where you will find great fiction, non-fiction and guidebooks covering Japan that are all recommended by the readers and writers of The Nihon Sun.

Image Credit:  Wikimeida, edohakub-ginza

Two regular features of Kateigaho International Edition are “Works” and “Seasons” are simply single pages that feature the art and words of two local artists.

“Works” combines the sumi ink calligraphy and words of Toko Shinoda, a world renowned female arstist who is know for combining traditional calligraphy techniques with modern abstract expression.  In the Autumn 2008 issue Shinoda presents the Kanji the representing “harmony” in simple black ink on a white background with the following words inset:

In order to nurture harmony, we need fine sensitivity.
Sensitivity is a fragile thing. That is why harmony is so
easily spoiled. Harmony is precious time and space
shared between people and nurtured by that delicate
sensitivity, and I might even say that nurturing it is the
reason for everything we do – so I muse to myself as I
rub my ink stick against the stone.

“Seasons” features beautiful images of textiles by Fukumi Shimura, a Living National Treasure, who started textile dying and weaving at the age of 32 in 1955. The personal stories that she shares can be visualized in the colors and textures of her textiles.  She announced her retirement in the Autumn 2008 issue and while she is irreplaceable I have high hopes that the feature will continue on in future editions.

Read more about Toko Shinoda in the Time article “Work of a Woman’s Hand” and Fukumi Shimura in a back issue of Kateigaho International Edition available online and be sure to pick up the Winter Edition of Kateigaho International Edition in Japan bookstores starting in December.  Kateigaho International Edition can also be purchased at selected overseas stores and you can purchase a subscription or back issues for delivery worldwide.

Image Credit: Personal Collection