book data
117 ratings, 3.76 average rating, 12 reviews
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published
September 13th 1995
by Harper Perennial
binding
Paperback, 304 pages
isbn
0060926651
(isbn13: 9780060926656)
description
This foray into the often violent subcultures of Japan dramatically debunks the Western perception of a seemingly controlled and orderly society.
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 151)
Read in January, 2000
This book has it all: Sex, violence, drugs, nerds, hostesses, thiefs, mob-enforcers, radical-nationalists.. the list goes on and on. The author (who had the distinct advantage of being a half-Japanese gaijin, fluent in Japanese) provides a glimpse of the flipside of model Japanese-citizenry through a mosaic of short stories whose characters reside on the outer-rims of their society. These “tales from the darkside” almost made me sell my sampler, quit my job, and hop on a plane back in the da...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
People who have lived in Japan for a while, people interested in Japanese subcultures
I absolutely destroyed this book in less than two days. It's a very easy read that keeps your interest and allows you to build reading momentum. Having lived in Japan since 2006 as an English teacher (I'm returning this summer) I found it especially interesting, because I've had first-hand contact with some of the subcultures that are described here (the right-wingers blaring slogans with loudspeaker-equipped trucks, otaku, etc.) That being said, some of the information seems a bit dated. For ex...more
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Read in May, 2002
Alternately compelling and sloppy, but always lurid, Speed Tribes' original sub-title was something like The Children of The Bubble. It was meant to chart young Japan after the economic bubble of the 1980s popped and left their parents wondering why they weren't rich anymore. It does that, I guess, never having been to Japan. Greenfeld, who is half-Japanese, is seriously about telling you how messed up Japan is and he's always searching for that borderline between the absurd and the pathological...more
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Read in August, 2007
The first half of the book was much more compelling than the second. While Greenfeld discussed a number of aspects of modern Japanese society that I hadn't delved into previously, in the end I realised that the Japanese are fundamentally just as bad (or good) as Americans. This is probably an important realisation for a rampant Japanophile!
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I heard that about half of it's embellished (the author himself had a nasty drug habit, like many of his subjects). It's still a fun and quick read, particularly the sections about "choco bon bon." A movie loosely based on the titular motorcycle gangs is now in the works.
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Read in May, 2006
recommends it for:
Japanophiles/Motorcyclists
This book was great. It totally shatters any preconceptions about the Japanese all being meek & polite. It's written by this young guy who is half Japanese and half Jewish. It delves into the underworld of Japan, written as only someone who's lived to tell the tale.
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Read in January, 2001
I read this a long time ago when I took a Japanese studies class and it was a very fascinating book. Presents several different aspects of the differences in Japanese culture as well as some of the differences between the new generations and the older generations.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
Eye opening. Greenfeld quickly dispells the myth of an orderly japanese society, providing a glimpse into a diverse set of Japanese subcultures. While I only found about half of the studies truly compelling, hence the two star rating, it's still worth the read.
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Read in January, 2008
It's amazing to see that, in a country that "has it all together" (besides America) has an amazing body of youth that is struggling to find belonging.
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Read in July, 2001
The images in this book remain fresh in my mind to this day.
An *awesome* read.
An *awesome* read.
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Read in January, 2004
interesting look at young japanese gangsters
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