Fuzoku Friday: Desire proves profitable option in real estate sector

Just another night on Love Hotel Hill in Shibuya. The businesses are now making for an attractive investment option as a "recession-proof" revenue stream. Weekly magazine Shukan Post reported in their April 30 issue on an interesting trend in the currently slow world of real estate investment, digging into the popularity of so-called “Loveho Funds.” About as Japanese as a REIT can get, the funds work by grouping the capital of interested parties together... Read More

Upcoming Event: An education on the way of the journalist

For those in the area, the University of New Hampshire will be hosting Jake Adelstein this Thursday, April 28, from 7-9pm. Tokyo Vice: An Education on The Way of the Journalist An evening with Jake Adelstein, investigative journalist and author of Tokyo Vice Thursday, April 29 7-9 p.m Richards Auditorium (Murkland Hall G115) Jake Adelstein has experienced the dark side of Tokyo’s urban culture and emerged to tell the tale in Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat... Read More

Not a good week for the big guys

The stolen Peko-chan mascots, from the Sankei News site In unusual yakuza-related news, April 23 saw the sentencing of an ex-Yamaguchi-gumi higher up for a crime that’s worth a chuckle. According to Sankei News, You Inaba, 43, was sentenced to six years in jail for stealing 10 “Peko-chan” statues from Fujiya stores between May 2008 and February 2009 in Wakayama, Osaka and other cities. When laying down the charges, prosecutors said that Inaba “has had... Read More

Fuzoku Friday: Girls with unhappy parents more likely to do compensated dating: Aichi police survey

The Asahi Shinbun posted an article about a survey done by the Aichi Prefectural Police regarding enjo kosai, or the practice of school girls exchanging companionship and sexual favors for money and gifts. According to the article, the survey focused on 100 girls between the ages of 13-19 who had been caught participating in deai-kei online dating sites. Nearly 70%, or 67 girls, said that they would never want to create a family environment like their parents have compared to... Read More

Yakuza and Pushing Their Buttons

I was going to visit a former yakuza boss in the hospital a few weeks ago. He was dying of lung cancer and the doctor had given him only a few weeks left to live.  I called up “Mr. Greenriver,” still a mid-level gang boss, and we agreed to go visit him together since we both were friends with him. I decided I’d go to Mr. Greenriver’s place with Mochizuki-san, a former yakuza boss and my driver and bodyguard. We drove to Mr. Greenriver’s condominium... Read More

Things you never wanted to know about the yakuza, but the Japanese just had to ask

Ever have a nagging question about the yakuza you hoped to have answered but didn’t know where to ask? Know that you’re not alone–even Japanese people themselves find the group slightly mysterious and arguably intriguing despite, or perhaps because of, their fearsome role in society. But where to go to get those questions answered? The Internet, of course! Here is an amusing selection of those small curiosities and their replies from some armchair anthropologists. A... Read More

Japan author sues police over ban on 'yakuza' publications

Now that April Fool’s Day is finished (at least here in Japan), we can actually post some real news! Related to the article last week about convenience stores in Fukuoka agreeing to take yakuza fan publications off their shelves, one man in the industry has now taken action against the move, calling it censorship and complaining that it hurts his income: Japan author sues police over ban on ‘yakuza’ publications TOKYO: A Japanese author and son of a Yakuza gangster... Read More