Black Passenger Yellow Cabs: Of Exile and Excess in Japan

by Stefhen Bryan, Suzette Burton (Editor), Shuji Goshomura (Illustrator)

Black Passenger, Yellow A Memoir Of Exile and Excess In Japan, provides a gritty, explicit rendering of a life ravaged by sexual addiction in a land little known for such wanton exploits. Born in the Caribbean, Stefhen F.D. Bryan describes in frank detail an abusive childhood from which he emerged with an obsessive lust that would plague him for nearly 40 years. Bryan immigrated to Japan solely to indulge his extreme fixation on East and Southeast Asian women. But rather than merely penning a series of sexual conquests, he interweaves his story with extensive research on the sociology and psychology of women in modern-day Japan, exploring the societal norms that made them easy prey to the sexual deviance he could not control. The memoir describes Bryan’s carnal adventures through a cultural lens that touches on interracial relationships, promiscuity, patriarchy and abortion. Included is sex research that one reviewer asserts “would make Kinsey proud.”From the dirty streets of a Jamaica that tourists never see to a pastoral Japan, Bryan takes the reader on an eye-opening journey of discovery. "Guns, sex, and racial suicide. And that's just Chapter 1!"Alon Author, Breeding Between The Lines.

Genres: Japan, Nonfiction

372 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 29, 2008

Reviews

[Byron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bible-length chronicle of some crazy (actually crazy) Jamaican guy's quest to get it on with roughly every third woman on the island of Japan, plus a few women in Korea and here in the US, as well as his theories on how Japan came to be such a weird, backwards place, based on his expertise as an armchair sociologist, having spent just shy of a decade at UCLA undergrad and only graduated at the cusp of middle age (he was old to begin), and what he was able to pick up - aside from chlamydia - having sex with so many women. I'm actually impressed with his level of insight. It's obvious from his prose that he's a prison-style autodidact, but he's also kind of a genius. This book would be way better if it were half as long. I think he wanted to mention damn near every woman he was involved with over there, for the sake of accuracy and to give an idea of just how prolific he was, but I think it would have been better for the book as a whole if he skipped a few or combined some of them into composites. Once you've seen one sideways vagine, you've seen them all. LOL

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author, who was born in Jamaica, but also lived in the United States, decided to spend some time in Japan while teaching English as a second language. During his seven (7) years in Japan, he sought out Japanese women for intimate relationships. Since he was willing to give these women attention and the sexual freedom to express themselves, he discovered that “picking” up Japanese women and inviting them to his apartment was an easy conquest.

Because of the male chauvinism of the society of Japan, the author found that many Japanese women feel sexually and emotionally deprived. The men are expected to devote their lives to their careers and that remains their foremost priority. They do not share their feelings with their wives or girlfriends. The expectations of women are to provide children. Women do not feel a sense of control over their bodies, and often do not seek out birth control. If they do get pregnant unexpectedly, often they pay for abortions, which the author says is treated as a profitable business in Japan.

In reading this book, I appreciated the author’s frankness and honesty. It was refreshing. Often the author did not put himself in the best of light, but still I found that I liked the writer for his sincerity. For instance, there were times when he broke up with women he were dating purely out of ego. For instance, one woman he was considering marrying, introduced him to her parents. Her parents thought that they should date another year before committing to marriage. Not to be disrespectful to her parents, the girlfriend agreed to this proposal. However, the author did not want to consign to her parents’ terms, and thus, soon afterwards he broke up with this girlfriend.

He found most women were not very aggressive, and thus, did not make demands that he participate in birth control. Often they did not want to go to a doctor to get birth control pills. And since he did not like condoms, and most did not insist on his using them, some of the women ended up pregnant. He states that he ended up paying for 14 abortions.

He would be intimate with more than one woman at a time and he made no secret of this to anyone he was dating at the time. Some of the women were accepting of this lack of monogamy and some would give him a hard time of it. There was one woman who was dating others as well and it bothered him. He wanted to believe that “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” but his male ego did would allow it.

I enjoyed this story for the author’s observations about relationships and the Japanese society. This book is well written, but with its explicit details, not for the shy. The author’s web site is: www.blackpassenger.com.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a bit of a pedant, I found the prolixity of Bryan's prose too affectacious for my liking. However, beyond that, the tales recounted are enlightening, as is his penetrative (no pun intended) analysis into the psychosocial composition of Japan. Parts of it read like the worst erotic novel ever written, and there are undertones of braggadocio and exaggeration in his sometimes suspiciously detailed narratives (given how long ago some of these events occurred), but it proves an engaging read nonetheless.

[Man Solo]

A must read for those who want to know the real about Japan

[D.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunning indictment of Japanese culture - in particular, dysfunction in familial relationships, specifically those between fathers and daughters.

The rest of my review can be found here:

[Ashley Blathras · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was in my friends kindle account that we share so I decided to read. OMG. Mostly a porno, with some facts about Japanese woman and Japanese society. This was more of a memoir than any type of sociological study in my opinion, as he was too descriptive with his personal experiences. He was also a shitty person, and some of these stories seem like absolute bullshit. I will say though, I was intrigued by all the different women he wrote about, but otherwise I think this book was disgusting. But I am assuming he already knows that this is how people will feel. I did enjoy the statistics and facts he provided, but the rest was just flaming garbage.

[Dustin Dye · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really disgusting book with only superficial insights on Japan. The author should be ashamed of himself.

[Lonz Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intrinsic story based on behaviors of the author who indulges to satisfy his intimate urges. The positive parts of the story incorporates a number of misconceived notions of a perilous society. He extrapolates truth of actions in a country most don't know exists, and shares the importance of it's existence. If you're headed to Japan, you should definitely read this novel, beyond the sexual escapades. If you're thinking of exploring a foreign country, you'd love this book, just because it shares insight in ways you should learn and understand to endure success. A very good read outside of the descriptive sexual encounters.

[OOSA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bored Passenger, Long Ride

This book is hard to categorize as it wasn't a story or a memoir. It was a mix of the author's life and sexual adventures abroad. It read like a history book on Japan with erotica sprinkled throughout. The two topics, separately, would be interesting. But together it was horrible. I'm not sure why the author's friends encouraged this combination. It had no entertainment value to me, but, on the other hand, it was educational.

I give "Black Passenger, Yellow Cab" a two, giving credit for the research about Japan.

Reviewed by: Alicia

[Jorge Figueroa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved, loved, loved this book.
It took me forever to finish, but it was always a great read.

It was in some parts like my version of 50 Shades of grey, a black man bedding as many japanese women as he could , so many that he is done.
But, this ADHD man is also an anthropologist of sorts and his depictions of Japan, Jamaica appear suddenly and make for an interesting book.
Yes, it jumps a lot, from Erotica to politics and sociology, but I for one loved this book.
Yes, it is long but as stated, a page turner.

[Jason Keenan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such a difficult book to describe. It's not the finest writing. It desperately needs a copy edit. And it veers into the kind of harlequin romance descriptions of the act that will cause your bosom to shake - in laughter.

But that said it is also a shockingly honest story of sex addiction and recovery from demons. The author's outsider-insider observations of mores and relationships in Japan are fascinating. They are also the kind of blunt talk you won't get elsewhere.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the worst-edited non-fiction books you can imagine, and yet very interesting. Bryan holds nothing back, and his frank opinions about problems with misogyny and infantilism in Japanese culture are a fresh contrast to less honest or more poorly informed perspectives. Sure, it's a bit over the top and I allow there must be selection bias in the people he met, but I still feel he has something significant to say.

[Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far a pretty amazing synopsis of the brutally low emotional quotient of the japanese, one man's sex addiction realization, and a review of the condition of sex itself. Equal parts anthropology and personal biography. All the sordid details, spoken casually, without trying to over intensify it.


Great book - i'll be connecting with the author!