Product Description

Read the tale of murder and unexpected compassion which influenced Bob Dylan's 2001 song "Floater", this is a true-life saga of one of the last traditional gang bosses in Japan.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40063 in Books
• Published on: 1995-07
• Original language: Japanese
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

Los Angeles Times
"Vivid and accurate."

Washington Post Book World
"A wonderful storyteller with a variety of unusual experiences."

Manoa
"Packed with colorful details and insights, told straightforwardly without machismo or exaggeration... Important and entertaining."

Customer Reviews

Interesting tale of an early century japanese gambler
The book is a soft read; it keeps you interested only if you enjoy reading of real life Japan, which I do. Not one of the best flowing tales with a lot of holes (probably due to the translation of the extended interview the book is based on.) Story does not delve deeply into the "world" of the yakuza but tries to show it on the surface through the story of one of its fringe members. Human interest vice violence.

Goodfellas in Tokyo
An iconoclastic and entertaining reminiscence on life in the Yakuza during the first half of this century. Translated in an often hilarious wise-guy style, like the subtitles in a cheap kung-fu movie. A good bedside read.