{"title":"Jake Adelstein","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to the captivating world of Jake Adelstein, a distinguished journalist and author known for his enthralling accounts of Japan’s criminal underworld. Delve into the fascinating collection of his works, which seamlessly blend personal anecdotes with meticulous investigative reporting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTokyo Vice\u003c\/em\u003e offers a gripping memoir of Jake's experiences as the first non-Japanese reporter for Japan's largest newspaper, detailing his encounters with the yakuza and the hidden side of Japan's culture. If you're drawn to personal stories mixed with the pulse of crime and intrigue, this is a must-read.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Last Yakuza\u003c\/em\u003e, Adelstein continues to uncover the shadowy world of Japan's most notorious organised crime syndicates. This biography further explores the dynamics of the yakuza's influence and operations, providing a rare perspective on a fading tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Devil Takes Bitcoin\u003c\/em\u003e introduces a fictional yet chilling narrative that melds the classic crime thriller with the modern age’s digital frontiers. This novel promises to keep you at the edge of your seat with its speculative take on technology and crime.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTokyo Noir\u003c\/em\u003e delves deeper into crime and thriller territory, weaving together tales that highlight the darker aspects of urban life in Tokyo. This collection is perfect for those who relish in gritty, atmospheric stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJake Adelstein’s works are perfect for readers interested in true crime, vivid memoirs, and thrilling narratives set against the backdrop of Japan's unique cultural landscape. Explore these compelling reads and get ready to be enthralled by his insightful storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-last-yakuza-by-jake-adelstein-9781925106817","title":"The Last Yakuza","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Last Yakuza\u003c\/em\u003e tells the history of the yakuza like it's never been told before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMakoto Saigo, half-American and half-Japanese, grows up in small-town Japan with a set of talents limited to playing guitar and picking fights. With rock stardom off the table, he turns toward the only place where you can start from the bottom and move up through sheer merit, loyalty, and brute force—the yakuza.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSaigo, nicknamed Tsunami, quickly realises that even within the organisation, opinions are as varied as they come, and a clash of philosophies can quickly become deadly. One screw-up can cost you your life, or at least a finger.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe internal politics of the yakuza are dizzyingly complex, and between the ever-shifting web of alliances and the encroaching hand of the law that pushes them further and further underground, Saigo finds himself in the middle of a defining decades-long battle that will determine the future of the yakuza.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWritten with the insight of an expert on Japanese organised crime and the compassion of a longtime friend, investigative journalist Jake Adelstein presents a sprawling biography of a yakuza, from postwar desperation to bubble-era optimism, to the present. Including a cast of memorable yakuza bosses—Coach, the Buddha, and more—this is a story about the rise and fall of a man, a country, and a dishonest but sometimes honorable way of life on the brink of being lost.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eJournalist Adelstein parlays decades of reporting on Japanese organised crime into a propulsive history of the yakuza. Drawing on interviews with both his yakuza and Japanese law enforcement contacts, he examines how yakuza groups obtained power ... He's especially good at tracing the yakuza's political influence in Japan, explaining how they bribed and blackmailed legislators into opposing bills that would have curbed their influence. Painstakingly reported and paced like a thriller, this is a must-read for anyone interested in organised crime.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Publishers Weekly\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis is great reading for anyone interested in the history and fading lifestyle of Japan's unique brand of mobsters. It's a sweeping narrative of the yakuza on both a macro and personal level, helping the reader understand the whats, whos, and, most importantly, whys of organised crime in Japan ... The days of the old world of Japanese organised crime are winding down, but \u003cem\u003eThe Last Yakuza\u003c\/em\u003e proves how much there is to learn from the stories of Japan's shadowy, fading underworld.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Noah Oskow, Unseen Japan\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAdelstein tells Saigo's story with a relish for its comic aspects and an understated feeling for its pathos ... one comes away from \u003cem\u003eThe Last Yakuza\u003c\/em\u003e finding its subject not just sympathetic, but even lovable.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- The Telegraph\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46380180373740,"sku":"9781925106817","price":41.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11393503482873.jpg?v=1744844459"},{"product_id":"tokyo-vice-by-jake-adelstein-9781761381188","title":"Tokyo Vice","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow a hit HBO Max TV series starring Ansel Elgort, Ken Watanabe \u0026amp; Rachel Keller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the only American journalist ever to have been admitted to the insular Tokyo Metropolitan Police Press Club, here is a unique, firsthand, revelatory look at Japanese culture from the underbelly up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the age of nineteen, Jake Adelstein went to Japan in search of peace and tranquillity. What he got was a life of crime... crime reporting, that is, at the prestigious Yomiuri Shimbun. For twelve years of eighty-hour work weeks, he covered the seedy side of Japan, where extortion, murder, human trafficking, and corruption are as familiar as ramen noodles and sake. But when his final scoop brought him face to face with Japan's most infamous yakuza boss—and with the threat of death for him and his family—Adelstein decided to step down... momentarily. Then, he fought back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eTokyo Vice\u003c\/em\u003e, Adelstein tells the riveting, often humorous tale of his transformation from an inexperienced cub reporter to a daring investigative journalist with a price on his head. With its vivid, visceral descriptions of crime in Japan and candid exploration of the world of modern-day yakuza that even few Japanese ever see, \u003cem\u003eTokyo Vice\u003c\/em\u003e is a fascination, and an education, from first to last.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMr Adelstein's book expertly melds classic writing about the police beat—replete with its public corpses, clean or rotten cops, smoky rooms and gangsters who eventually seek redemption—with a candid journalistic memoir that details this profession's moral and mental dilemmas. At the centre is a complex protagonist—both jaded and emotionally deep—whose drive and positive impact win respect as he offers, perhaps, something as rare and fascinating as a black pearl, namely the most compelling insider's expose yet of Japan's opaque society.\u003c\/em\u003e - Washington Times\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTokyo Vice is about Japanese subculture. Adelstein instructs us in the vagaries of Japanese journalism and provides a gamy, colourful tour of the morally flexible areas of Japan, particularly in Tokyo. He also shows how Japanese police work and interact with journalists. Adelstein shares juicy, salty, and occasionally funny anecdotes, but many are frightening.\u003c\/em\u003e - Carlo Wolff, The Boston Globe\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA gripping and absorbing read. Very few foreigners ever come close to discovering what's really going on in Japan's closed society. Adelstein chases two major stories that pull him into a vortex of destruction, threatening his friendships, his marriage and even his life. As he battles with profound issues concerning truth and trust, Tokyo Vice approaches a heart-pounding denouement. This is a terrifying, deeply moral story which you cannot put down, and Adelstein, if occasionally reckless, is an extremely courageous man.\u003c\/em\u003e - Misha Glenny, author of \u003cem\u003eMcMafia- a journey through the global criminal underworld\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46505430778092,"sku":"9781761381188","price":41.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781761381188.jpg?v=1748672766"},{"product_id":"tokyo-noir-by-jake-adelstein-9781761380235","title":"Tokyo Noir","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA darkly comic sequel to \u003cem\u003eTokyo Vice\u003c\/em\u003e that is equal parts history lesson, true-crime expose, and memoir.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt'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 organised-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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnd 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe underworld isn't what it used to be. Underneath layers of paperwork, corporations are thinly veiled fronts for the yakuza. Pachinko parlours are a hidden battleground between disenfranchised Japanese Koreans and North Korean extortion plots. TEPCO, the electric power corporation keeping the lights on for all of Tokyo, scrambles to hide its wilful 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eJournalist Adelstein follows up The Last Yakuza with another illuminating blend of memoir and reportage ... As always, the author's ability to boil down Japan's complex sociopolitical dynamics in sharp, often-humorous prose impresses ... For true crime fans, this is a treat.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Publishers Weekly\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eThe Last Yakuza\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eJournalist Adelstein parlays decades of reporting on Japanese organised crime into a propulsive history of the yakuza. Drawing on interviews with both his yakuza and Japanese law enforcement contacts, he examines how yakuza groups obtained power ... He's especially good at tracing the yakuza's political influence in Japan, explaining how they bribed and blackmailed legislators into opposing bills that would have curbed their influence. Painstakingly reported and paced like a thriller, this is a must-read for anyone interested in organised crime.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Publishers Weekly\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eTokyo Vice\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTokyo Vice is about Japanese subculture. Adelstein instructs us in the vagaries of Japanese journalism and provides a gamy, colourful tour of the morally flexible areas of Japan, particularly in Tokyo. He also shows how Japanese police work and interact with journalists. Adelstein shares juicy, salty, and occasionally funny anecdotes, but many are frightening ... Adelstein doesn't lack for self-confidence ... but beneath the bravado are a big heart and a relentless drive for justice.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Carlo Wolff, The Boston Globe\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46675787055340,"sku":"9781761380235","price":45.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/3103503482815.jpg?v=1752945231"},{"product_id":"the-devil-takes-bitcoin-by-jake-adelstein-9781761381300","title":"The Devil Takes Bitcoin","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wild, true story of cyber-era commerce, crime, cold-hard cash, and one of the greatest heists in history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEven in hell, Bitcoin talks. This modern take on an old Japanese saying still holds true. Cryptocurrency was supposed to do for money what the internet did for information, but it didn't work out that way. Its virtual existence unleashed real-world chaos — especially in the homeland of its mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Tokyo was the centre of the world's largest bitcoin exchange, Mt. Gox, until that company collapsed with nearly half a billion dollars' worth of bitcoin gone missing. It might be the greatest heist in history. If it was a heist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSo what really happened? Here's the true story of the humble-to-hot commodity, from the former geek website that launched the boom to an inside world of absent-minded CEOs, hucksters, hackers, cybercrooks, drug dealers, corrupt federal agents, evangelical libertarians, and clueless techies. You'll discover Bitcoin's connection to the infamous Silk Road, learn why hell has nothing on Japan's criminal justice system, and get the lowdown on the high cost of betting with the Devil's dollars. All of this for less than the price of a single bitcoin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Devil Takes Bitcoin\u003c\/em\u003e is a wild ride through the glitchy, glorious mess that is crypto history. Jake Adelstein connects the dots like a conspiracy theorist with actual receipts. Read it. Laugh. Cringe. Maybe even HODL (Hold on for dear life).\u003cbr\u003e\n—Tigran Gambaryan, former IRS Special Agent also known as 'The Crypto Wizard'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is, of course, brilliant. A twisting, complex, international true-crime thriller involving Bitcoin, The Silk Road, and the cutting edge of Cryptocurrency malfeasance.\u003cbr\u003e\n—David Hayter, award-winning screenwriter\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eTokyo Noir\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n'It might be packaged as a hard-boiled, gonzo tour through Japan's underworld, but this intricate tale keeps unfolding in unexpected ways ... It's tempting to call this story Chandleresque, but there's a depth of feeling and undercurrent of spiritual questing that goes beyond Chandler's remit.'\u003cbr\u003e\n—The Sydney Morning Herald\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46835157172460,"sku":"9781761381300","price":40.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781761381300.jpg?v=1758534926"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/jake-adelstein.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}