Confessions of a Yakuza: A Life in Japan's Underworld
9 journalers for this copy...
The true and fascinating story of one of the last traditional gang bosses in Japan.
This book comes with a cover jacket and a kodansha Int'l bookmark. Book is printed in Japan.
Got this book utilising a $10 book voucher from Borders + 10% less.
International Ring
Participants (order may change):-
1. Supertalya (Korea) - will ship anywhere
2. rebeccaljames (USA) - US shipping
3. sunfi (USA) - US/Canada
4. Megi53 (USA) - will ship anywhere
5. aetm (Ireland) - UK/IRE asked to be skipped
6. ETMadrid (UK) - EU preferred
7. cerimello (UK) - UK/EU
8. voveryte (UK) - ships anywhere
9. Sarahmuh (Sweden) - ships anywhere
10.Bluemchenblatt (France) - shipping pref TBA asked to be skipped
11.sky-so-blue (Portugal) - shipping pref TBA No reply
Book is back with bearyfriend (Singapore)
This book comes with a cover jacket and a kodansha Int'l bookmark. Book is printed in Japan.
Got this book utilising a $10 book voucher from Borders + 10% less.
International RingParticipants (order may change):-
1. Supertalya (Korea) - will ship anywhere
2. rebeccaljames (USA) - US shipping
3. sunfi (USA) - US/Canada
4. Megi53 (USA) - will ship anywhere
5. aetm (Ireland) - UK/IRE asked to be skipped
6. ETMadrid (UK) - EU preferred
7. cerimello (UK) - UK/EU
8. voveryte (UK) - ships anywhere
9. Sarahmuh (Sweden) - ships anywhere
10.Bluemchenblatt (France) - shipping pref TBA asked to be skipped
11.sky-so-blue (Portugal) - shipping pref TBA No reply
Book is back with bearyfriend (Singapore)
Thanks all for waiting. Have finished reading and sending off to the first reader of this ring.
Very easy and informative read. Just like the secret society and mafia world, this is about the underworld in Japan before WWII, when during those times Yakuza solely dealt in gambling, and protecting and helping their brotherhood. It's very different from what we read about and watched in gangsters movies.
It's fascinating reading about the detailed narration of the life during those times and how the yakuza works, though it may be a bit slow. And I kept forgetting those Japanese names and had to refer back. Will get into it again when book comes back.
Enjoy reading.
Very easy and informative read. Just like the secret society and mafia world, this is about the underworld in Japan before WWII, when during those times Yakuza solely dealt in gambling, and protecting and helping their brotherhood. It's very different from what we read about and watched in gangsters movies.
It's fascinating reading about the detailed narration of the life during those times and how the yakuza works, though it may be a bit slow. And I kept forgetting those Japanese names and had to refer back. Will get into it again when book comes back.
Enjoy reading.
I absolutely loved this book. This is one of the best books I have read this year. The book starts out with an elderly man walks into a doctor's office and takes off his kimono to show the doctor his exquisite, but faded body tattoo. The man, a former Yakuza boss, begins to tell the doctor his life story. The story is true and the author is the doctor who spent hours listening, recording the Yakuza's story. It is an exciting, engrossing read about pre-war Japan and one of the most elusive groups in the world.
Journal Entry 4 by Supertalya at Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada on Monday, April 13, 2009
Released 15 yrs ago (4/13/2009 UTC) at Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada
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Sunfi did not receive my PM's and I was finally able to get a hold of her. On it's way to Sunfi.
Sunfi did not receive my PM's and I was finally able to get a hold of her. On it's way to Sunfi.
I received this book a while ago. I will get to it as soon as possible. Thank you for sharing.
This will go out either this week or next week depending on when I get my school refund check.
Just arrived today in the mail. I have another book ahead of this one, but I'll get to it as quickly as I can. Thanks bearyfriend for including me and thanks rebeccajames for mailing it.
Just finished this one, it was an interesting story. I had to push myself a couple times to finish it. For me the story progresses a little slower and more relaxed than most things that I usually read. I'll try to get this one on its way today.
Journal Entry 9 by sunfi at -- Mail or by hand-rings, RABCK, meetings, Ohio USA on Saturday, November 7, 2009
Released 14 yrs ago (11/7/2009 UTC) at -- Mail or by hand-rings, RABCK, meetings, Ohio USA
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It's on its way to Virginia, it should arrive there in the next couple of weeks.
It's on its way to Virginia, it should arrive there in the next couple of weeks.
Received in today's mail. I read the recommendations on the back cover and flipped through it, enjoying the many small drawings interspersed with the text.
Well, here it is 30 days after I received this book and I'm only on page 73. I was so careful to space my signups for rings and rays, and wouldn't you know it -- six of them came at once. I should have more time to read starting next Tuesday (the 15th) -- Christmas packages will all be mailed and school concerts will be over then.
This book is wonderful! It had an excellent translator in John Bester. (I wish he had been the one to work on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter instead of the slipshod Donald Keene.) The chapter I just finished about a 1923 earthquake, "The Monkeys' Money" was just riveting.
I'll keep trying to obtain an address for the next on the list and will pass this on ASAP along with a more detailed journal entry. (ETA: aetm asked to be skipped, so I will PM the next person on Monday. And ETA again on Tuesday, Dec. 15: received address; will mail by Saturday the 19th depending on forecasted snowstorm.)
Thanks so much for sharing a fantastic read, bearyfriend.
This book is wonderful! It had an excellent translator in John Bester. (I wish he had been the one to work on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter instead of the slipshod Donald Keene.) The chapter I just finished about a 1923 earthquake, "The Monkeys' Money" was just riveting.
I'll keep trying to obtain an address for the next on the list and will pass this on ASAP along with a more detailed journal entry. (ETA: aetm asked to be skipped, so I will PM the next person on Monday. And ETA again on Tuesday, Dec. 15: received address; will mail by Saturday the 19th depending on forecasted snowstorm.)
Thanks so much for sharing a fantastic read, bearyfriend.
I liked reading this because it had a laconic feel to it -- no events were made to seem too horrifying or violent, even when in real life they were.
Eiji's life was actually filled with romance: his relationship with Omitsu would make a plot worthy of Shakespeare. Roaming the countryside together, sleeping secretly in shrines ...then, the things that happened between them when he was over 65 years old ...
One of my favorite threads involved a lava rock bestowed on Eiji by his beloved boss. Art figured in again when Eiji admired a picture of Asakusa by Dr. Saga's father -- and it would appear that Saga senior illustrated this book (quite beautifully, too).
World War II didn't figure heavily in the narrative; the Korean occupation during the 1920s took up much more space. A comment made about a WWII profiteer, Saburo, was one of the best philosophical lines: "He was the kind of man, in fact, who makes you want to take your hat off to the human race. I mean, the way they won't let anything keep them down for long." (page 228).
Will be mailing to ETMadrid within the next few days.
Eiji's life was actually filled with romance: his relationship with Omitsu would make a plot worthy of Shakespeare. Roaming the countryside together, sleeping secretly in shrines ...then, the things that happened between them when he was over 65 years old ...
One of my favorite threads involved a lava rock bestowed on Eiji by his beloved boss. Art figured in again when Eiji admired a picture of Asakusa by Dr. Saga's father -- and it would appear that Saga senior illustrated this book (quite beautifully, too).
World War II didn't figure heavily in the narrative; the Korean occupation during the 1920s took up much more space. A comment made about a WWII profiteer, Saburo, was one of the best philosophical lines: "He was the kind of man, in fact, who makes you want to take your hat off to the human race. I mean, the way they won't let anything keep them down for long." (page 228).
Will be mailing to ETMadrid within the next few days.
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Mailed from Main Street Courthouse post office.
Mailed from Main Street Courthouse post office.
Journal Entry 14 by 
ETMadrid
from Rotherhithe, Greater London United Kingdom on Monday, January 11, 2010
ETMadrid from Rotherhithe, Greater London United Kingdom on Monday, January 11, 2010
Thank you - it's now here in London! I'll be reading this as soon as I finish the book I'm reading at the moment.
Journal Entry 15 by ETMadrid from Rotherhithe, Greater London United Kingdom on Saturday, January 23, 2010
ETMadrid from Rotherhithe, Greater London United Kingdom on Saturday, January 23, 2010
Even for me (I'm slow!), this was an incredibly quick read. It's been a while since I read one of these jacketed Japanese paperbacks - it felt quite nostalgic. The book itself though disappointed me in a way. I think it's the dryness of the style, the shortness of the sentences, although not sure really... I wonder what were the passages that the translator thought best to edit out (for being "perplexing or tedious"). I'd think that the readership for these books is usually one that is familiar with Japanese culture so able to cope with the whole text, but perhaps I'm wrong.
That said, I did find it interesting, and it is the only thing I've ever read about the earthquake in Tokyo. It would be interesting to know something about a more recent experience within the yakuza, to compare, as there are several pointers to things having changed, as well as the misrepresentation in the cinema. I'm grateful for the chance to read this.
That said, I did find it interesting, and it is the only thing I've ever read about the earthquake in Tokyo. It would be interesting to know something about a more recent experience within the yakuza, to compare, as there are several pointers to things having changed, as well as the misrepresentation in the cinema. I'm grateful for the chance to read this.
Journal Entry 16 by ETMadrid at Southwark, Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, January 27, 2010
ETMadrid at Southwark, Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Released 14 yrs ago (1/27/2010 UTC) at Southwark, Greater London United Kingdom
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Posted today to cerimello.
Posted today to cerimello.
Journal Entry 17 by cerimello from -- Somewhere in London 🤷‍♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, February 10, 2010
thank you. will start reading in the next few days.
Journal Entry 18 by voveryte from -- Somewhere in London 🤷‍♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom on Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Received today! Looking forward!
Journal Entry 19 by voveryte at -- Somewhere in London 🤷‍♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Finished! Sorry for keeping this book for so long.
I really liked it, the story so fascinating and real, the details captivating. However, I had this feeling that something was still lost in translation.
Thanks so much for the opportunity. The book is now travelling to Saramuh
I really liked it, the story so fascinating and real, the details captivating. However, I had this feeling that something was still lost in translation.
Thanks so much for the opportunity. The book is now travelling to Saramuh
I've had this for a while, but have only just officially caught the book - sorry!
I will start this within the next few days and send it on as soon as possible.
Many thanks for sharing - this looks really interesting.
I will start this within the next few days and send it on as soon as possible.
Many thanks for sharing - this looks really interesting.
I've finally finished this and really enjoyed it. I liked the style, rather incomplete, but an honest recollection of the events of this man's life. It hadn't been polished up in anyway. Like ETMadrid though, I do wonder what the missing parts were though. I would have liked them included, I could have chosen myself whether to skip them or not!
I haven't read any memoirs on pre-war Japan, so this was a lovely opportunity, and I hope there is more like this.
Bluemchenblatt has asked to be skipped, so I will contact sky-so-blue instead.
17 Sept
Still waiting to hear from sky-so-blue, have just sent a second PM.
I haven't read any memoirs on pre-war Japan, so this was a lovely opportunity, and I hope there is more like this.
Bluemchenblatt has asked to be skipped, so I will contact sky-so-blue instead.
17 Sept
Still waiting to hear from sky-so-blue, have just sent a second PM.
This was fast, received it last Fri, sorry for journalling only now. Thanks for sending it back. Glad everyone likes it.
