Author Archives: Sarah Noorbakhsh

Now for something completely different: Visual Kei

By Sarah Noorbakhsh | Published: 2 March 2010
A link via Mutantfrog Travelogue: And we thought Johnny’s Jimusho was dodgy; Tokyo Damage Report gives the lowdown on the grime in the Visual Kei industry, from lack of contracts and “band rules” to money laundering. It’s not only the political world that takes cues from the yakuza: In the beginning there was some – how do [...]
Posted in Pop Culture | 2 Comments

Upcoming event: Tokyo Vice book talk at Temple University

By Sarah Noorbakhsh | Published: 25 February 2010
Just a heads up for those in the Tokyo area: Jake Adelstein will be giving a book talk for Tokyo Vice, possibly including the reading of an unpublished chapter, at Temple University on Friday, March 5. The event is organized by Temple’s Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies and is open to the public. Hope to see [...]
Posted in Tokyo Vice | 9 Comments

Jello shots hit Japan–finally!

By Sarah Noorbakhsh | Published: 15 February 2010
Almost any American who went to a few parties during their university days will be slightly familiar with the ubiquitous Jello shot, and Wikipedia tells me they exist in a few Commonwealth nations too, albeit under a different name. During my school days, I remember preparing endless trays of these for Japanese exchange students, most [...]
Posted in Pop Culture | 3 Comments

Yamaguchi-gumi using pre-paid internet to sell child pornography?

By Sarah Noorbakhsh | Published: 12 February 2010
According to an organized crime watchdog, police in Wakayama Prefecture have uncovered a child pornography ring that was able to set up a website selling DVDs by abusing the anonymity of pre-paid wireless Internet cards. Pre-paid Internet access through USB wireless modems are becoming increasingly popular, as use does not require a contract with a [...]
Posted in Organized Crime | 2 Comments

Yakuza cause stir at sumo match

By Sarah Noorbakhsh | Published: 28 January 2010
The Mainichi reported on Jan. 26 about an uproar (if it can be called that) in the sumo world after Sumiyoshi-kai members were spotted occupying ringside tomari-seki seats at the New Year’s sumo tournament on Jan. 18 in Ryogoku, Tokyo. Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department spotted the head of the gang affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai [...]
Posted in News, Yakuza | Leave a comment