Confessions of a Yakuza: A Life in Japan's Underworld | Junichi Saga

Confessions of a Yakuza: A Life in Japan's Underworld | Junichi Saga | nice, quick read

books:

Confessions of a Y...

	Confessions of a Yakuza: A Life in Japan's Underworld Junichi Saga Kodansha International, 1995 - 264 pages average customer review:based on 26 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

A rare glimpse at Yakuza life.

I thought this was an interesting peek into a shadow world that few non-members live to tell about. The interview style of writing keeps the story moving and allows the author to interject his own insights. There are a few areas where the translation was editted and anecdotes are glossed over, but they don't detract from the overall enjoyment of this work. I recommend it for anyone interested in seeing what life in the old-time Japanese mafia was like. I enjoyed this book so much, that I passed it along to my Dad. If you like Japan and its culture, you'll like this book. Gambatte!

for more information click here

nice, quick read

In the the opinion of a 20 yr old college student who is interested in Japan in general, I found this book to be delightful and more of a luchtime type of read. It doesn't go in too deep on any subject but keeps its interest so that I kept wanting to read it. The format is that of an old man telling a friend of his life which includes being a Yakuza. It takes place back when everyone still wore Kimonos as everyday dress in Japan and the Yakuza gangs were a bit different from what they are now, so if you're looking for more current information this may not be it. Apart from the gangs, you do learn about the culture. I'd say it was worth the money.

for more information click here

One Man's Life Story

This book is a simple read. It is about one man's life with the Yakuza. I was a bit surprised since it dispelled my preconceived notions of the Yakuza. I agree with the reviewer below - it does seem like a 'goodfellas' set in Japan. It is about the life of a man who started out as a kid as a lookout for dice games held in a warehouse. It progresses through his interesting career and life. At the conclusion of the book, I felt quite sad for the man whose life this book is about. It's a decent lazy Sunday afternoon read about a career criminal in Japan - take it as such. I also agree with another reviewer - it seems like this individual was involved in local, territorial issues - not a high ranking, key player. For me however, it did demystify a lot of my preconceived notions of the Yakuza. I walked away with the feeling that organized crime in Japan is pretty similar to organized crime in the states.

for more information click here

Yakuza Life: Hardship and Jail and Some Frills Along the Way

If you've ever seen any movies that featured Yakuza, as I have, you expect to see something along the lines of Goodfellas but with katanas a-flashing, tattoos, missing digits, and fear at every turn. The novel, written using conversations with a circa World War II oyabun, reflects very little of that feeling. At points, Yakuza life seems rather bland and the payback is far less than the sacrifice necessary to lead that lifestyle.

Sword fights? Not a one is mentioned, though there is casual reference to protecting territory. Even this, however, is inferred as being low-level - no killings if it can at all be avoided. This seems mostly to the complex web of interrelation between one Yakuza gang and the next - somebody in one gang owes somebody in every other gang a favor or two.

Tattoos? Not a one famous Yakuza tattoo is mentioned in the entire book to my recollection.

Missing digits? One incident of this being mentioned (with no other references to Yakuza missing digits in their descriptions) is mentioned and it lacked any and all ceremony that we have assumed was the way it was thanks to the entertainment industry.

Fear at every turn? Sure. If it's not a rival gang encroaching on your territory, it's the police who hate Yakuza with a passion. Jail is pretty standard for Yakuza and the prisons at the time made Hell look like Club Med.

Contrary to the Yakuza of today (or perhaps the Yakuza of fiction) during WWII the main source of income for the Yakuza was gambling, though they dabbled in black market (though not illegal) items whenever they could. Sure, every now and again they sold guns, but more often than not, their version of the black market sold items that were simply in short supply or limited by the local laws. In addition, more than protection money they were into legitimate protection - if their neighborhood is an unsafe place, who comes there to do business or gamble? It was in their best interests to keep things in their neighborhood safe and keep the merchants happy and rich.

The biggest thing to look forward to as a Yakuza oyabun appears to be the same things that you associate with any businessman. They have to maintain a steady income or set some aside for a rainy day, pay overhead, make sure the right people are happy with you (read as: bribe) and want to conduct business with you, keep an eye out for good talent to add to your ranks, etc. Definitely not the posh lifestyle that one associates with the leader of a mafia-style family.

I've rated this book as a 3, but not due to lack of content. Rather, in contrast to the Yakuza as I've grown to know them through the movies and other media this version just seemed watered down and boring in comparison. Sometimes fiction is just more interesting...

for more information click here

Goodfellas in Tokyo

This autobiography of a Japanese gangster is translated with a sometimes hilarious "wise-guy" affect that can make it read like the subtitles from a martial arts movie. Even so, it is very entertaining and offers a rare insight into the Yakuza underworld in the first half of the 20th century.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, page 5, 6

products you might be interested in

recommendations

Winter 2007 Best Non Fiction Books about Japan
Yakuza Books: The Best of
A Japanese list for DK
DEAR BLACK DRAGON,...
Books About Japan