Speed Tribes: Days and Night's with Japan's Next Generation [Paperback]

Karl Taro Greenfeld (Author)

Book Description

This foray into the often violent subcultures of Japan dramatically debunks the Western perception of a seemingly controlled and orderly society.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Greenfeld, the half-Japanese, half-Caucasian American Tokyo correspondent for The Nation, has written about a little-known, seamy subculture in Japan that became more prominent with the collapse of the "bubble" economy of the 1980s. In 12 compelling chapters, Greenfeld covers the grimier aspects of Tokyo's urban society: organized crime, the nightclub scene, motorcycle gangs (the eponymous bosozoku), computer hackers, ultra-right-wing nationalists, and the porn industry. His focus on individuals brings a sense of immediacy as his high-speed narrative highlights the flaws in Japan's society without bashing it. Steven Wardell's forthcoming Rising Sons and Daughters: Life Among Japan's New Young (Plympton Pr. International) focuses on teens in Kyushu and presents a more positive picture of their lives. These two books show Japan as a complex society much more like ours than people may have realized. The absence of an index makes this more suitable for most public libraries.
Katharine L. Kan, Aiea P.L., Hawaii
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Americans duped into believing that Japan has few social problems outside of political corruption, horrendous university entrance exams, and the suppression of women into lifelong menial jobs and unsatisfying lives as caretakers for their husbands will be shocked by some of Greenfeld's revelations: widespread methamphetamine use among youth, a booming pornographic industry (as a result of Japan's foray into sexual freedom), and a skyrocketing juvenile larceny rate. Organized crime is a problem also; the Yakuza is being replenished with disillusioned youth from the country's youth gangs, and its proliferation on the Japanese mainland and its rapid expansion overseas are frightening. The "speed tribes," or Bosozoku, is a catch-all term that refers to the plethora of diverse youth subcultures that have spawned as a result of Japan's famous "bubble economy." Japan's obsession with things Western intensified during the boom in the 1980s (now predicted to crash sometime in the 1990s) and is proving disastrous to its social fabric. A day in the life of a computer hacker, the "hostess" industry (with few remnants of the geisha tradition that preceded it), and a motley crew of unconventional Japanese youth as they go about their unconventional and sometimes reckless lives are some of Greenfeld's other subjects. Fascinating reading, will make many Americans rethink stereotypes they may have about the Japanese. Kevin Roddy --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (September 13, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060926651
• ISBN-13: 978-0060926656
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,106,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just don't forget it's fiction..., December 11, 2000

By 

James R. Hoadley "Nagano Jim" (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Speed Tribes: Days and Night's with Japan's Next Generation (Paperback)

This book is enjoyable to read. It presents a side of Japan that is almost unheard of, the disenfranchised. Told as a series of first-person vignettes, with each person similar but distinct. This is the raw underbelly of Japan, violent, disatisfied with life, desperately seeking for an unknown goal. A quick look at the domestic Japanese news reveals that there is a serious crisis of identity occuring, and this is one of the few books that reveals the true roots of the problem. In my time in Japan, I have known people like the characters in this book, and in general the stories ring true. The only thing which prevents me from giving this book 5 stars is that the few places that the Japanese language is used in this book, it is odd or even incorrect. Still, the stories seem to provide an accurate insight into the thinking and lifestyles of many young Japanese.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A review of "Speed Tribes", August 24, 2001

By 

Christopher C. Dahl, SSgt USAF (Misawa AB, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Speed Tribes: Days and Night's with Japan's Next Generation (Paperback)

"I realized that the Japan I had been writing about as a reporter and magazine editor had nothing to do with the Japan I was living. I had overlooked the gritty, sexy, real Japan" The dazzling variety of new youth subcultures and rich pop cultures emerging as a result of the Bubble Economy prosperity". (Greenfeld, prologue, xiv) In his book, "Speed Tribes: Days and Nights with Japan's Next Generation", author, Karl Taro Greenfeld has unearthed a fascinating cluster of Japanese youth that he refers to as "Speed Tribes", a direct translation of the Japanese "Bosozoku", youthful delinquent Japanese gangs, notoriously characterized by their noisy hopped-up motorcycles and turbo powered hot rods. Greenfeld asserts that hidden deep beneath Japan's traditional "kimono-clad" skin exists the discontent rebellious "real" Japan, lacking its values in the wake of the "Baburu" economy. Greenfeld implies that Japan is caught in the midst of a subcultural revolution. After a five-year plunge deep into the heart of Tokyo's cultural subterrain, he emerged with a line on its components; the Yakuza (mafia-types), political right wing Uyoku, computer hacking Otaku, to name a few. He illustrates how each component plays its own role in the exploitation of Japan's generation gap. Greenfeld makes the case that a growing generation gap is irrefutable. "The twenty-five million Japanese between the ages of fifteen and thirty-five are a far cry from their generational predecessors, the shinjinrui" (baby boomers) he says. (Greenfeld, prologue, xiv) He points out that because it is no longer fashionable to think politically in Japan, many Todai Sei (Tokyo University students) lack any interest in politics whatsoever. He explains that today, college students would sooner drink beer and watch baseball.(Greenfeld, p.154) He goes on to describe a large population of youth as larcenous, glue-sniffing street punks, notorious for stealing motorcycles in and around Tokyo in protest of traditional society. Ironically, he explains, these are the children of the industrialists, executives, and laborers who built modern Japan.(Greenfeld, prologue, xiv) Through Greenfeld's elaborations, it appears that modern Japanese youth are drafting their own set of values. "Family values such as unity, cohesion, and diligence were cracking right down the middle".(Greenfeld, p.22) Through their own invention of values, Bodi-con girls are exploiting their feminine sexual appeal as a means of "coping with male dominated society.(Greenfeld, p.125) In tokyo's Ueno Park, the Yakuza and their subordinates have successfully sullied the sacred Meiji Shrine by using its steps as one of the country's most prodigious drug bazaars. Political right wing Uyoku effectively extort money from nearly every major corperation. These "speed tribes" are by no means the "quaint picture-postcard Japan of tea ceremonies, sumo wrestlers, rock gardens, and Kabuki".(Greenfeld, prologue, xiv) Although Greenfeld provides an intriguing tour deep into the pit of Japanese underground subculture, his purpose seems somehow unconvincing. Begging the question, he leads the reader to believe that the Bubble Economy is ultimately responsible for the spawning of such groups as the Yakuza, Bosozoku, and virtually any other entity outside the sphere of traditional Japanese traditional culture. Although much of what Greenfeld says does ring true, pinning the proverbial tail of the rebellious "real" Japan squarely on a relative snap shot of the country's long history is an attempt of grossly oversimplify the cultural issues of a complex Japan. Although I'm not necessarily doubtful of Greenfeld's knowledge and insight of the secret workings and dealings of modern Japanese subculture, his lack of a bibliography leaves this work wide open to skepticism. His detailed narrations of the activities behind closed doors of beedrooms and back-room chicanery raised questions. There were occasions while reading this book that I found myself in self-debate; were these the real life names and faces of gangsters, punks, and porn stars? Despite my differences with the book, it provided some interesting content. I have long been fascinated by the Bosozoku and was enlightenen to learn of their link with the Japanese mafia. The fact that approximately Forty percent of these young men are much more than just juvenile delinquents, but destined to be life-long Yakuza is probably what I found to be most interesting. Overall, "Speed Tribes" has broadened my perception of Japanese people and made me a better student of their culture. I recommend it as a must-read, not only to fellow students of Japanese history and culture, but to anyone planning to spend much time in Japan.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not perfect but worthwhile, January 4, 1998

By 

S. Bergel "AreaMan" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Speed Tribes: Days and Night's with Japan's Next Generation (Paperback)

As someone who has lived, studied, and worked in Tokyo, I have come in cursory contact with many of the types of people described in this book. While Japanophiles and purists will find much to pick at, Greenfeld has added a very necessary facet to the general public's image of modern Japan. Just as a Japanese person might want to understand our hippie, punk, gang, sex, and drug subcultures to get a fuller understanding of the US, so too would non-Japanese be drawn to this book. The stripping away some of the more annoying stereotypes and sugar-coating of Japan is a big enough pay off in my mind to put up with the inaccuracies.