"The Tokyo Vices of a Reporter in Japan" - has anyone read this?

[Ken44]

...
Frederick "Rick" Grundlach aka 'Hoofin' lives in historic Lancaster, Pennsylvania - which is where my favorite Hamilton wristwatch was made! Based on my cursory read of his posts on religion, I think Rainbow Tokyo might find him every Sunday at the local Episcopal Church - which is both diverse and welcoming as far as I can tell!

Oh, lookie! A reference to our site: http://hoofin.wordpress.com/2012/05/...s-in-one-week/

Hoofin? Sure most of what he blogs is nonsense but he's another ex-gaijin who can't seem to leave Japan behind and occasionally does have something interesting to say. Apparently he’s a licensed lawyer and accountant in the States who for reasons unknown spent five years in Japan complaining. I think Tempe University screwed him out of some money or something because he always bitxhing about the school.

[kujira]

I read the book and laughed out loud most of the time because Jake seems to live in a fantasy world...

I didn't laugh at the book, but I was not impressed either. If anything, i was disappointed. I hoped to get some more inside info on ykuza (curiosity really). But the book was all about me me me... Yet, I don't see what's the big deal with JA and CJ and why people get so hot to defend either of them. If JA is making money out of his book, do be it. I actually got the book through a library and I am glad for not have wasted money on it. But at the end of the day, he wrote a book - good for him; he is marketing it well - good for him! Who cares if he is lying or not? I only wonder how he sleeps at night if even 20% of what he recalls in the book might have happened to this girl, Helen or whatever, he recruited to help him. But this quarrel with CJ I simply don't understand. Am I missing the real story here?

Btw, I also registered today and I am just exploring this forum (not Jake, sorry NBNW )

[edin日本]

well, this certainly seems to have gotten out of hand...

Which hand?

[NorthByNorthwest]

I didn't laugh at the book, but I was not impressed either. If anything, i was disappointed. I hoped to get some more inside info on ykuza (curiosity really). But the book was all about me me me... Yet, I don't see what's the big deal with JA and CJ and why people get so hot to defend either of them. If JA is making money out of his book, do be it. I actually got the book through a library and I am glad for not have wasted money on it. But at the end of the day, he wrote a book - good for him; he is marketing it well - good for him! Who cares if he is lying or not? I only wonder how he sleeps at night if even 20% of what he recalls in the book might have happened to this girl, Helen or whatever, he recruited to help him. But this quarrel with CJ I simply don't understand. Am I missing the real story here?

Btw, I also registered today and I am just exploring this forum (not Jake, sorry NBNW )

It's generally considered deceitful, misleading and offensive (not just to readers but to the professional integrity of other journalists) when a writer lies and passes off creative fiction for fact. We not only have categories of "fiction" and "non-fiction" but one can also indicate accounts as "based on a true story". So, while you might not consider it a "big thing", there are many other readers and most professional writers who would take offense at Jake's spinning of lies to Big Up himself in print. You'll get the same reaction of disgust in other areas. For example, people who claim false military honors or experience - it's not "just a few ribbons and silly-looking medals" to those involved.

We joke a lot about nerds coming over to Asia to 're-invent' themselves. For example, Charisma Man. Fake Adelstein seems to have taken it to another level by spinning tales of him being some tough investigative crime reporter in Japan butting heads with yakuza and hanging out in smokey bars with seasoned crime beat cops and beautiful hostesses. A far cry from the geeky cross-eyed nerd from Columbia, Missouri. He could have tried the same schtick with ninja - hiding in every corner and crevice of Tokyo (actually he does that with yakuza) - but the guys at bullshido.org would have caught on to him in a sec... see Kim Ashida

For the most part, Japanese haven't given Jake much notice, but they might. Some 2channers even picked up the expose story: http://tokumei10.blogspot.jp/2012/05...adelstein.html

As for the hostess in the story that supposedly ended up dead - you should probably apply a heavier discount rate to the falsehoods Jake Adelstein spun in his book. Rather than "OMG I wonder what happened to her? I hope she's okay!" it is much more likely that she never existed in the first place, short of being based on someone he knew as an acquaintance. In his high school days, I am sure he had a similar "girlfriend who lives in Canada":


As for the cause of the quarrel between Chris Johnson and Jake Adelstein, who really cares? Hoofin/Rick Grundlach points to a third name involved in some weird five year 'feud', a David Schaufele who works at NHK:

http://hoofin.wordpress.com/2012/05/...s-in-one-week/

--- I never met Chris Johnson, didn’t know him, or of him, in Japan when I was there. I was a skeptic about “Gulag for Gaijin”, which doesn’t seem to measure up to the standards of his other work. But there are obvious, human, reasons for that. When I look at the story of CJ this year, I am more interested in who this David Schaufele (NHK house Canadian) is, and why he is carrying on a five-year feud with CJ. The folks slamming CJ on the internet are doing the kinds of things that make the outside observer wonder why they have the aggression that they do―not that the target is someone “bad”. In one of Johnson’s recent pieces about the Japan-side expat blogosphere, he highlights a number of names that have gotten this treatment. If you are a regular reader of mine, you might notice that I tend to side with each name on that list, in part for the reason that they have somehow been viewed by the periscope of some nasty others with a presence on the net.

The bashers bash, and it makes me see the target victim in an even more favorable light.

Sit back and enjoy the show.

[Potnoodle]

At the end of the day this battle between of the douches is fun to watch.

In the red corner we have, Jake the Fake, a man who has faced down the Yakuza and won. Taken on a crime boss. Sent a poor woman to her death. A hard drinking, chain smoking, womanizer with a book available on amazon.co.jp.

In the blue corner we have, Chris wants to molest your kids Johnson, a toughened war correspondent who was choked, beaten up, had a room mate beheaded, held a gun point, took on the predator and aliens, was held at narita airport because his visa was expired...

Two of Japan mightiest douches and self promoting liars doing battle.

Who will win?
Who will die?

[kurogane]

Who will win?
Who will die?

2 Douche Enter!

1 Douche Leave!!!!!!!!!!

[Pinkerton]

Which hand?

this time it was the left hand....

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

A reading of some of Johnson's "article" (maybe "obsessive diatribe" would be a better description) (I gave up about half way through) indicates a serious obsession with Jake Adelstein and his past. Did Adelstein really just question Johnson's visa status? Even if there's more to it than that, it's rather extreme and obsessive to go to the great lengths he has to dig up all this stuff about his past, a lot of which does seem somewhat tentative.

As for Adelstein, you don't spend 12 years at the Yomiuri for nothing, and claims about the lack of journalistic integrity of Japanese newspapers, again, come across as another tentative "clutch-at-a-straw", anything with which to belittle the guy.

As for Adelstein's "facts", I'd say it's highly likely that he's embellished and used journalistic/artistic licence to jazz up his story to sell more copies. That's what writers and journos do. Has he lied about himself? I don't know, but Johnson's claims in his article do seem, as I said, not to have totally solid foundations. Johnson obviously has a serious problem with the guy, appears to have been greatly troubled and aggrieved by his visa refusal at Narita (which now looks like it was perfectly justified), and Adelstein's comment on that (and maybe other things I'm not privy to), both of which have conspired to send him "over the edge" so to speak. His article/diatribe does appear to be an attempt to undermine and belittle the guy, rather than having been done for public interest reasons.

FTR, I'm not Jake Adelstein, nor am I a sock puppet. Just been reading about this business and am interested in it, partly because I was interested in Johnson's claims about journos and academics being denied entry to Japan (which now appear to be far-fetched), as well as being interested in Adelstein's Tokyo Vice and writing on the yakuza (which perhaps stretches the truth somewhat - who knows).

I'll sum up by saying that this all seems rather silly and childish. Can't this matter be sorted in a civilized and sensible way?

[Pinkerton]

I find it rather odd that a few 'first time' posters have popped up on this thread. that being said, has anyone, like the publisher, done any fact checking about Jake or his claims in Tokyo Vice? I am not saying he lied or embellished the truth, just wondering if anyone, beside this Chris character, has looked into the facts of Tokyo Vice.

FTR, I'm not Jake Adelstein either!

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

Johnson comes across as being determined to undermine and sully Adelstein's reputation. Maybe Adelstein does have a case to answer. As Johnson points out, Adelstein's generally considered an expert on the yakuza and crime in Japan, and true, someone with that reputation could get away with less-than-impeccable journalistic standards now and again perhaps.

If Adelstein is as bad as is being made out though, would all these esteemed broadcasters, publishers, even government departments, that use his services, have not twigged yet? Johnson portrays him as being some massive con-artist, adept at swindling even the biggest media and publishing organizations. Sounds like a bit of a tall story to me!

[well_bicyclically]

...FTR, I'm not Jake Adelstein either!

it gives pause to wonder, just how many of the other 20,420-something members of GP are not Jake Adelstein either...

[iago]

it gives pause to wonder, just how many of the other 20,420-something members of GP are not Jake Adelstein either...

Given my, I mean Jake's, apparent reputation, even if they say they're not, how can you really believe them?

FTR, well, you know the drill...

[Pinkerton]

it gives pause to wonder, just how many of the other 20,420-something members of GP are not Jake Adelstein either...

do you think my reputation is in question???

[well_bicyclically]

do you think my reputation is in question???

..... your reputation is as sound as the Yen!!

[HarderFasterBaby]

If Adelstein is as bad as is being made out though, would all these esteemed broadcasters, publishers, even government departments, that use his services, have not twigged yet? Johnson portrays him as being some massive con-artist, adept at swindling even the biggest media and publishing organizations. Sounds like a bit of a tall story to me!

You're assuming that the people running these places are competent! If the bloke is charismatic and talks the talk then anything is possible. Not saying this bloke is... Never heard of the mongrel, but in my time in Japan, the more insane the story the more likely it is to be true...

[Pinkerton]

..... your reputation is as sound as the Yen!!

the yen is pretty strong these days...

You're assuming that the people running these places are competent! If the bloke is charismatic and talks the talk then anything is possible. Not saying this bloke is... Never heard of the mongrel, but in my time in Japan, the more insane the story the more likely it is to be true...

yes, there are some insane things going on here. just the other day i was walking to the train station and I saw guy on the ground, laying back up with his pants and underwear down. there was a puddle forming around him so i assume he was peeing. wft is that? crazy!

[thefan]

this time it was the left hand....

sit on it til it goes numb next time

[Pinkerton]

sit on it til it goes numb next time

I don't like 'the stranger'.

[iago]

I don't like 'the stranger'.

Gotta disagree there. The Stranger was a classic. But he'd pretty much lost the plot by the time of Uptown Girl.

[edin日本]

A reading of some of Johnson's "article" (maybe "obsessive diatribe" would be a better description) (I gave up about half way through) indicates a serious obsession with Jake Adelstein and his past. Did Adelstein really just question Johnson's visa status? Even if there's more to it than that, it's rather extreme and obsessive to go to the great lengths he has to dig up all this stuff about his past, a lot of which does seem somewhat tentative.

As for Adelstein, you don't spend 12 years at the Yomiuri for nothing, and claims about the lack of journalistic integrity of Japanese newspapers, again, come across as another tentative "clutch-at-a-straw", anything with which to belittle the guy.

As for Adelstein's "facts", I'd say it's highly likely that he's embellished and used journalistic/artistic licence to jazz up his story to sell more copies. That's what writers and journos do. Has he lied about himself? I don't know, but Johnson's claims in his article do seem, as I said, not to have totally solid foundations. Johnson obviously has a serious problem with the guy, appears to have been greatly troubled and aggrieved by his visa refusal at Narita (which now looks like it was perfectly justified), and Adelstein's comment on that (and maybe other things I'm not privy to), both of which have conspired to send him "over the edge" so to speak. His article/diatribe does appear to be an attempt to undermine and belittle the guy, rather than having been done for public interest reasons.

FTR, I'm not Jake Adelstein, nor am I a sock puppet. Just been reading about this business and am interested in it, partly because I was interested in Johnson's claims about journos and academics being denied entry to Japan (which now appear to be far-fetched), as well as being interested in Adelstein's Tokyo Vice and writing on the yakuza (which perhaps stretches the truth somewhat - who knows).

I'll sum up by saying that this all seems rather silly and childish. Can't this matter be sorted in a civilized and sensible way?

I frankly don't give a crap about either of them. The one may be mentally unhinged after that farce at Narita but the other scumbag blew off National Geographic after signing a contract with them. For real journalists , the ones that go out there and do what the rest of us just dream about, the magazine with the yellow border is the Holy Grail and Adelstein just blew them off and then later tried to scam them. That alone is enough to prove that he's a liar, a cheat, a scumbag and all round general scumbag.

I hope he enjoys his new career as a low level copywriter for a Pakistani syndicate at a salary of $100 a month. IMO that's all he's worth.

[Potnoodle]

I have been a little worried, it seems that both CJ and JA are on to us... they know we have been mentioning them here...
I have made a few comments and am scared for my life...

What are we gonna do?

[Pinkerton]

I have been a little worried, it seems that both CJ and JA are on to us... they know we have been mentioning them here...
I have made a few comments and am scared for my life...

What are we gonna do?

ride the snake, Potnoodle. we'll be ok.

[edin日本]

I have been a little worried, it seems that both CJ and JA are on to us... they know we have been mentioning them here...
I have made a few comments and am scared for my life...

What are we gonna do?

We could always paint a target on your back and hope one of them sticks something sharp and pointy in it. Unfortunately our hopes are in vain as both JA and CJ are all talk and no action.

[Pinkerton]

We could always paint a target on your back and hope one of them sticks something sharp and pointy in it. Unfortunately our hopes are in vain as both JA and CJ are all talk and no action.

well, they are writers, after all....

[wernst]

For those interested, Jake Adelstein will be attending TedX Kyoto next month

http://blog-e.tedxkyoto.com/

maybe a good idea to tell him your personal opinions.

[kurogane]

Gotta disagree there. The Stranger was a classic. But he'd pretty much lost the plot by the time of Uptown Girl.

He should have been dragged at sea for Uptown Girl and all that "Look How Brooklyn I Am!!!!!!!!!!" crap.

For such a rare and exciting talent, he really went to pot fast.

Look what a farce he is of late.


The only decent Doo Wop album recorded since Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers was Neil Young and The Shocking Pinks.