Editorial Reviews
Review
“A delightful memoir of the author’s five-decade love affair with a city that “hypnotized” him and never let go.”
—Kirkus Starred Review
“From the author of Tokyo Underworld comes an up close and very personal memoir. Tokyo Junkie is a raucous, funny, and always fascinating love letter to one of the most dynamic cities in the world. A pleasure to read from start to finish.”
—Terence Winter, Creator & Executive Producer, Boardwalk Empire
“Whiting has lived a vivid, Zelig-like life that tracks the meteoric rise of Tokyo into one of the world’s greatest cities. His memoir is a wonderful tapestry of friendships, interviews and chance encounters with corporate barons, barmaids, ball players and the occasional mob boss. Through it all, Whiting’s unassuming demeanor, natural curiosity and droll sense of humor leave the reader wondering who else he’s met.”
—Ken Belson, reporter with The New York Times formerly based in Tokyo
“Tokyo Junkie is a deep dive into the megapolis and a communion with its crazy, eccentric denizens from a man who knows it better than anyone else. Bob Whiting came to the city as a stranger in a strange land in 1962 and stayed for five decades—he knows the dark alleys, the good whisky bars, the crooked politicians and the crooks, the baseball players, the bookies, the Olympics that were and the Olympics that will be better than anyone alive. You will not find a more entertaining memoir and guidebook to the darker side of the rising sun, and to a life well-lived, than Tokyo Junkie. It’s as addictive as life in the city (citadel) itself.”
—Jake Adelstein, investigative journalist and author of Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on The Police Beat in Japan
“A glorious love letter to the world’s greatest city. Alternately bawdy, funny, elegiac – and even violent – Tokyo Junkie will take its place next to classics by Lafcadio Hearn, Edward Seidensticker, Donald Richie, and Ian Buruma that succeed in articulating the hold that Japan has on the hearts of so many of us gaijin.”
—R. Taggart Murphy, author of Japan and the Shackles of the Past and The Weight of the Yen
“Robert Whiting is a marvel. His rich experience, his nose for great stories, his wit and good sense make Tokyo, past and present, sparkle with life.”
—Ian Buruma, author of A Tokyo Romance, The Invention of Japan, and many others
“This is a delightful book, a wry, vivid, and illuminating account of a country, a culture, and a keenly observant character through five dramatic decades.”
—James Fallows, The Atlantic
“Whiting’s ability to craft history lessons as narrative epics that captivate an audience and paint a stunning portrait of what Tokyo’s culture and history mean to the world at large is unparalleled.”
—Sherry Marsh, Executive Producer of History Channel’s Vikings and the upcoming adaptation of Robert Whiting’s Tokyo Underworld
“Robert Whiting is a global treasure whose bestselling books explicated Japan through ballplayers, gangsters and entertainers. In Tokyo Junkie, he tells the riveting story of his personal fascination with the city and its inhabitants. Every visitor to Japan, every student of Japanese culture, and every diplomat posted there should have a copy. It’s an essential guide to understanding the country and its people.”
—Derek Shearer, former US ambassador and professor of diplomacy
“Whiting is the consummate raconteur, regaling readers with tales of bawdy exploits, how to befriend yakuza and the art of hard living in a book brimming with wry humor and empathy. In taking us back to the scruffy and wild Tokyo of yesteryear he offers astute asides on the evolving gamut of pathologies that have shaped Japan. Through sports and organized crime Whiting shares his genius for peeling back the layers of the city that made him.”
—Jeff Kingston, Director of Asian Studies, Temple University Japan and author of Japan (Polity 2019)
“Seduced by its bustle and underworld hustle, Bob Whiting has spent decades exploring the hidden corners of Tokyo and the Japanese psyche. From yakuza to baseball and dirty politics to gleaming skyscrapers—he takes you on the intercultural journey of a lifetime.”
—Joseph Shaules, Director, Japan Intercultural Institute
“Tokyo Junkie reads like a Japanese comic. A vivid, fast-paced paean to a great city, and Robert Whiting’s emotional journey to reconciling his insider/outsider status. Wonderful!”
—Dan Slater, Director, The Delphi Network
“What a joy!”
—Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy and Casino and screenwriter of Goodfellas and Casino
“Few writers could deliver firsthand insights into six decades of wild, wonderful, bizarre and sinister aspects of Japanese culture—let alone with Robert Whiting’s level of style and knowledge. From professional baseball to politics and the underworld, Whiting takes the reader on his life journey through a remarkable world.”
—Gwen Robinson, Former Japan correspondent, Financial Times
About the Author
Robert Whiting is a journalist and author who has lived in Tokyo on and off for more than half a century. One of only a few Western writers to have a regular newspaper column in Japanese, he is the author of several highly successful books on Japan including the best-selling You Gotta Have Wa (on baseball in Japan) and Tokyo Underworld (currently under option to Legendary Global). Topics he has written on include sports, Tokyo nightlife, and crime.
Tokyo Junkie 