Rating: 
Summary: A hilarious look at a very serious subject.
Review: 5 stars to Japan-journalist Robert Whiting (of "You Gotta Have Wa" fame). The title of the book says it all - a documented account of the life and times of an American gangster, Nick Zappetti, in Roppongi, Tokyo from the Occupation in 1945 to Zappetti's death in 1992. This is not fiction, nor is it a straight history book. It is more like a biography, but focusses almost exclusively on Zappetti's life in Japan, with asides on the political and criminal background, including the Lockheed scandal. This is serious journalism, written with panache and wit. Whiting has done an excellent and difficult job, which only someone fluent in Japanese could do (the footnotes and references are just as fascinating as the main story). And what a story! Despite the violence and scams, and Zappetti's final embittered years, Whiting had me laughing out loud in several places. An ageing, impotent Zappetti, embroiled in endless lawsuits, is losing money on his flagship restaurant while the ones he was forced to hand over to his wife are making money hand over fist. His shrewd wife offers her free advice - "change the decor, adapt to Japanese tastes, turn up the lighting" - which Zappetti consistently ignores. Finally, at his wits' end, he does as she suggests and invests his last millions in a complete overhaul. The new shiny restaurant opens - just as Japan's bubble economy bursts! This book will appeal particularly to people who live or have lived in Japan, but also to anyone who enjoys a lurid and seedy tale!
Rating:
Summary: its nice to know what really happened, and how it happened
Review: A bit long winded about the main person Nick, but very interesting of how goverment U.S.-v- Japanese goverment-v- the gangster element and how they worked together in many areas to make Japan what it is today, Robert Whiting did a bang up job as usual.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: A very good writer tackling a little known (in the West) aspect of Japan and Japanese history. Although he did make errors when he discusses the historical background to his main subject (e.g., the author's assertion about the U.S.' view of Park Chung Hee of South Korea - actually, they were first afraid that he was a communist) does not detract from the readability of the book. Even the anecdotes are fascinating - I read every singly end note in the book and they are numerous and incredible.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: A very good writer tackling a little known (in the West) aspect of Japan and Japanese history. Although he did make errors when he discusses the historical background to his main subject (e.g., the author's assertion about the U.S.' view of Park Chung Hee of South Korea - actually, they were first afraid that he was a communist) does not detract from the readability of the book. Even the anecdotes are fascinating - I read every singly end note in the book and they are numerous and incredible.
Rating:
Summary: THE CHRYSANTHEMUM AND THE YAKUZA
Review: A wonderfully gripping book. As a gaijin who grew up in post-Occupation Japan and witnessed the scene which the author describes so vividly--and having had an encounter (thankfully, a positive one!) with Nick Zapetti, the King of Roppongi--I'd say Robert Whiting has captured the time and place and wooly cast of characters perfectly. A huge plus is the excellent commentary and cogent explanation of the backstage politics and the righteous criminal mentality of Japan, Inc. I give this book five stars and a haramaki.
Rating:
Summary: Tokyo Underworld is history the way it should be written.
Review: An extremely engrossing look at a side of history most Japanese--and Americans--don't like to talk about. This book is not your usual take on the U.S.-Japan relationship and that's all for the better; it is so entertaining, you don't realize you are learning something as well. I can personally vouch for its accuracy as I knew many of the characters written about in this book. Robert Whiting has done a first rate job in describing the many seedy operators who inhabit Tokyo's underside. This is history the way it should be written and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping, disillusioning, frightening and real
Review: As you are reading this book, you will get the feeling that it can't be real, that it's all a fantastic work of fiction. However author Robert Whiting has provided an extensive list of notes and references in the back of the book to support his work. And the information that his book contains is frightening, and perhaps to those who are new to Japan, surprising.
Corruption in Japan runs deep, and this book dives all the way to the bottom. Whiting has done a remarkable amount of research and has had amazing access to those people who really run Tokyo and by extension Japan, namely organized crime. Using a relocated New York Mafioso as his catalyst, Whiting exposes how deeply ingrained the Yakuza are, with influence extending as high as the Prime Minister's office and as far afield as the US and Indonesia.
Nicola Zapetti knew and worked with some of Japan's most powerful Yakuza, and in Japan, many argue that the Yakuza are the most powerful group of all. Yoshio Kodama, a pardoned Class-A war criminal, ultra-right wing politician and well-known Yakuza once referred to himself as "the worlds richest fascist." LDP kingmaker Shin Kanemaru was found with millions of dollars in cash, bearer bonds and gold boullion in his house, much of it bribes from the Yakuza.
New Prime Minister Koizumi has been labelled a "reformer" by the media in the West. Those who have read Whiting's book know enough to doubt both his sincerity and his chances of legitimate success at changing this system which is corrupt at its very core.
If you want to understand the Japan that they don't teach you about in Polical Science and Business classes, you need this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Barely readable...
Review: Despite all the positive reviews, I found this book to be barely readable. I was hoping to read a historical work on Japanese organized crime and ended up wallowing through a collection of anecdotes centered around Nick Zappetti, a frequently unlucky fellow whose restaurant was a crossroads for celebrities and criminals. All said and done, if you are looking for a reasonably scholarly work on Japanese organized crime, don't buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: An enjoyable yet utterly forgetable romp thru seamy Tokyo.
Review: First off, I believe that this book is definitely worth the price of admission as it is an engaging encounter with a part of urban Japanese society that one rarely has the opportunity to become acquainted with. Having said that, the book suffers from some structural problems that leave the reader a little bit at loose ends by the time he reaches the end. This book, although ostensibly about the 'Tokyo Underworld' is actually composed of three distinct threads of discourse. Thread one is a semi-biographical tale of an extraordinary character from blue-collar New York City who, as a result of a post-world war II stint in the Army lands in and adopts Japan as his home and destiny for the rest of his life. The book is semi-biographical because the biography seems to be a fusion of a free association telling of a life's story to the author by this character, and the author's own haphazardly researched, yet thoroughly entertaining description of the characters and events that crop up in the course of this story. The second thread is an off-the-cuff social history of an area of Tokyo that went from urban blight to some of the most renowned and expensive real estate in the world, and is now somewhat equivalent to NYC's 'Great White Way,' or at least what an outsider imagines the GWW should be. The third thread is an anecdotal description of the notorious Tokyo Yakuza and its alleged massive influence and sway over Japanese society from dark alleyways all the way up to the halls of power.
If this sounds like an awful lot of material to fit into one teeny tiny book, it is, and because it is the author has to make some compromises. The compromises come in the form of cursory treatments of all three subjects, but done in such a glib and insousciant manner that the reader forgives the author his dilatory story line in return for the verbal ride. This really is not a book about the 'Tokyo Underworld' so much as it is a fun topical read about a colorful 'GaiJin' of questionable character who, against all odds, becomes a notorious and successful figure during a particular era in a discrete section of Tokyo's entertainment district.
Rating: 
Summary: Great read but don't let it change your travel plans.
Review: I found this book to be very entertaining, and it tought me much about a side of Japan of which I knew almost nothing. Having lived in Japan for the last 12 years, I also found the book highly accurate, aside from an unfortunate habit of the author to spell out Japanese words (apparantly) phonetically rather than using one of the major accepted methods for conversion to the alphabet, so I was often unable to decipher certain names that should have been easily understood. However, I would like to take this opportunity to warn the reader not to make judgments about modern Japan based on this book. First, not once in 12 years have I had even a second hand encounter with the Japanese underworld. Also, this book is not so much an overview of the post-WWII Tokyo underworld but rather an in depth biography of one man who was mistakenly labled as the crime boss of Tokyo by the foreign press, and loads of great background material surrounding his experience. Finally, as the book does describe a man who admittedly involved himself in the seamier side of Japanese society, understand that most members of the foreign community do not experience his level of alienation (which you will read about). Personally, my foreign-ess has almost nothing to do with my successes or failures and I find that I am accepted almost as a native in all aspects of my life. Of course, I happen to be very fluent in the language and culture and have made a concentrated effort to actively participate in the community, according to the rules of the community. Those who experience alienation are usually the ones doing the alienating. So, if you are interested in modern Japanese history and the Japanese underworld in particular, this is a very exciting, revealing and entertaining must read, but don't let it affect your travel plans! :)
|
