I love the fun fact that Tokyo Drift was filmed in Tokyo but they couldn’t get the right permits so a guy was hired to be the fall guy as the “director” when the cops would break up filming and spend the night in prison

Chris, you should definitely make a feature film about Yukio Mishima's attempted coup, starring Ryotaro as Mishima and Natsuki as the army general Mishima kidnapped

I learned everything I need to know about the yakuza from the 1989 Michael Douglas thriller Black Rain.

10,000 arrests since 2021? Compared to the Yakuza this new breed have no idea how not to get caught

On my most recent visit I was walking through various parts of Tokyo and at one point on a walk from Harajuku to Shibuya I counted something like 15 black Mercedes G Wagons, some parked in interesting places and one with a rather gruff gentleman sitting inside just chilling. I figure they're the current yakuza vehicle of choice and they're still around here and there.

I'm originally from Montreal and they film there _all_ the time (I think it's a NYC stand in). As someone who had major studios filming on my street on several occasions, I can promise that it never interrupted my ability to shop and walk normally on the street. Maybe let shop keepers in Tokyo know this. It's really no trouble to live somewhere that filming is occurring.

Chris it would be pleasure to chat with you about "Tokyo Vice". It is brilliant.

Could someone hand Pete a new T-shirt? If I have to look at Seinfeld for one more week I'm gonna scream so loud that he can hear me in the UK 🤣

You absolutely have to watch Miami Vice. Completely captures an era.

yeah, defo recommend Season 2 of Tokyo Vice. the story of the gangster's liver transplant in the US is in season 2.

Black rain was a cool film, loved that

I have to thank Pete D for inspiring the title of my next novel "The Den of Ill Repute"

Quite a few games of Yakuza series have depicted Tokuryu gangs that taken over yakuza, funny to see make it to the Podcast about Japan

Midnight Diner is my favorite show on Netflix.

RE: hiccups if you just wear a facemask on the train (which is a very good idea to do anyway), you'll likely be seen as trying to keep to yourself/not bother anyone and people are unlikely to be that bothered; facemasks are quite normal in Japan and are seen as a courtesy to others (Regardless, even if they were bothered it's very unlikely anyone would actually confront you about it, most people dislike confrontation there). On subways it shouldn't matter much but on Shinkansen/long distance trains it's easy to feel uncomfortable sitting right next to someone so I'd just make sure you get a reserved seat and try to aim for off-peak hours. During Mid-season and Off-season there's a very good chance you'll get at least 2 seats to yourself during off-peak hours. (note: the seat reservation is very cheap compared to the rest of the ticket. On most trains the reservation is only a $3~7 add-on and you can get it from the ticket office or the ticket machine). (I think across all of my trips, including last year, I had 2 seats to myself on shinkansen/long distance trains about 3/4 of the time? Most of my trips have been Mid-season (basically warm season but avoiding peaks like April, Golden Week, etc.) and I usually try to take them around midday rather than evening when possible since I'm not a morning person and my favourite thing about shinkansen is the scenery; evening trains = much more likely to have a seatmate, and too dark to see any scenery so I only do those if I've run late or don't have a choice.)

17:42 Pete is recording from a (former) hypnotherapy room?! What the hell, are we getting hypnotized right now?! 😵

Hey Chris you should do a video on homeless in Japan there is a bloke skating around Japan staying in his tent. Nomad push he was a salary man got depressed quit his job it's awesome to see how a normal Japanese man lives homeless. His story really shows how it is to be poor in Japan I think everyone needs to watch real life like that.

Tokyo Vice was so addictive..Sato is such an epic character ..both seasons were so good!

8:35 "Things do Dangle" sounds like an awesome title for this story.

I watched all of Tokyo Vice this week and it’s amazing, thanks for the recommendation!

I watched Miami vice when it first aired, then rewatched it last year and clothing aside, it’s aged fairly well

Giggling at the 'Like A Magic' sign in the back. Cheers to that little inside joke XDD

Awesom Episode Thanks a lot for your Work👍️❤

I love these videos. They are a perfect blend of information, advice, humour and insight! Keep em coming.

Rumor has it that the new Yakuza are middle aged Brits.

Chris & Pete literally described the Bad Guy's & Their M.O. in PERSONNA 5. That Joker, Ryuji, Morgana, Makoto, & Yusuke take down !

Watched season one of Tokyo Vice and am watching season two right now.

Take an HDMI cable with you if your laptop has the port. Connect it to the TV in your hotel room and extend your desktop. :)

To Pete and Chris, You both should watch the Miami vice TV series It's amazing! I put it in the top 10 TV series of all time. Thanks for all the great podcasts! You guys are amazing!😎👍

The person worried about hiccups disrupting other passengers should relax. I went to Japan in August 2018. I boarded a Shinkansen that was packed tighter than a sardine can. It was as worse than it sounds. People all sides are pressing into you. And when people want to use the restrooms they are literally climbing over you and your luggage. It’s crazy. I never want to experience that again. I plan to reserve my trains when I go to Japan this year. It has to be August as my Brother can only take off for a long period of time in April, August, and December. December he usually visit home, April is not long enough only one week. This why I am staring to learn some Japanese so I can get around without bugging my brother. I would visit early October. Cooler, and not as busy.

I really like it when you guys NameDrop books you liked. I might have to check out Tokyo vice the book.

One of my favourite films is Lost in Translation, and I love how that film was all filmed on location in Japan.

In my experience people on Japanese trains aren't quiet necessarily, they just don't use their phones. It's pretty much like everything else- Japanese people can break these rules all they want but oh boy if the foreigner breaks the same rules all hell will break loose.

I was in hospital last xmas, they took me into surgery on boxing night and i spent the next 4 days hiccuping non stop, holding a conversation was nigh on impossible, i have never experienced anything like it in my life.

All this focus on the Yakuza when the biggest crime they discussed is Chris using one monitor 😅

this crime group sounds like it was made from watching the dark night(the bank robbery sounded the exact same setup)

In Japan you have groups called Hangure, for us, they could be seen as organized street gangs. You also have sino-chinese groups that are becoming more and more powerful in Japan.

I thought yakuza was the Japanese word for mafia. And the biggest yakuza was a group called the Yamaguchi gumi

On the gang topic. I've seen more and more videos of 'foreigners' of a certain ethnicity gathering together and purposely causing problems. Latest video I saw it looked as if they were bashing against a police van with the officer inside. Is it true that more issues like these are arising from these people who do not care for Japanese culture and are acting just the same way that they are in Europe?

I binged watched tokyo vice on iplayer over last two days, i loved it. Sad to hear theres no season 3 .

Hearing Slavoy Zizek was on your train was quite a surprise 😂

The last I checked the Yakuza were still classed as the richest and most organised crime group in the world? They have had problems recruiting before and so just took on those from motorcycle gangs and those involved in street racing and gambling on said racing. I honestly don't believe the Yakuza will ever disappear but just evolve instead (no tattoos or finger removal, it's NEVER a good idea to have easily viewed symbols of gang loyalty that just make the police's job much easier)

A friend and I were in Tokyo a couple of months ago, somewhere around Asakusa I think. Stopped to sit outside a bar for a lunchtime drink, when a local guy on the next table started conversation with us. A few seconds in he hoisted down the front of his tshirt to reveal a giant tattoo and with a gap toothed grin growled "MAFIA!" It was then we noticed there were 8-10 police officers dotted along the other side of this street, all with their eyes glued on this chap. A while passed before he got up and started harassing the officers. Blowing cigarette smoke in their faces and apparently video calling his boss to mock their attempts to intimidate or catch him in a criminal act. It was about an hour before he decided he'd had enough and set off down the street, with a small crowd of police in tow. My only taste of a criminal side to Tokyo and probably the only time I actively noticed the police during a month in Japan.

I loooove the opening phrase of the podcast! The way Chris says “Mr Pete Donaldson HIMSELF” and then “how the devil are you doing?!”. Poor Chris has to say it every time but I never get tired of it ❤ concerning the Yakuza, I just discovered Giri/Haji, through Shōgun’s Anna Sawai and Takehiro Hira and I’m enjoying the series. But next I will probably watch Tokyo Vice!

Pachinko Parlors are the most noise friendly places on earth.

We not gonna talk about the weird dolls behind bro….

Great show guys

Biggest downside with multiple monitors is the space between monitors including the bevels. Can't use the area and it makes one look just that much farther. When focusing on something I can't be looking left and right (or up and down) all the time.

When you’re ready to make feature film reach out. Don’t do short films tho. Loving podcasts.

Thanks fellas. Yakuza Moon by Tendo Shoko is well worth a read.

Tokyo Vice for anyone in the UK is on BBC IPlayer 📺

Tokyo Vice is a great show.

I am totaly interested in Tokyo Vice. But the problem for me is, that it is on a streaming service i do not use. So my best choice is to either make time to binge it the trial period or sail the high seas

I would highly recommend the Miami Vice show over the movie. The movie is really fun though

Tokuryuu are, basically, present-day Shadowrunners. XD

Tokyo Vice is one of my favorite series in recent years.

Back in the days actually worked with em😮 What stories ❤❤

Dare I suggest you make a wicked "Mod" film showcasing the J-Mods? The Tokyo Numbers, scooter club for example the huge masses of Mods in Japan that would be awesome! Interestingly, I lived ten years in Hatogaya Saitama loved it, used to hang out with the Nishi Kawaguchi (my nearest JR, Yaks who ran the takoyaki stands and the fake Rolex stands etc they were actually very cool cats aside from their chosen paths that is. They couldn't understand why I would want to talk to them etc always drinking with them at 0:4:30 everyday

Black Rain is such a good movie. Are there any other movies that have that vibe to it set in Japan?

My dad has sinus problems and has had a few surgeries, but he makes loud hacking noises when fluid runs down his throat. He has been hospitalized for related issues. He also sneezes extremely loudly. It's not intentional.

Speaking of filming in Japan, you should watch Alice in Borderland. There are some scenes in Tokyo that are pretty wild, especially an empty Shibuya crossing. They must have used CGI to do it, but one would be hard pressed to tell it wasn't the real thing. Besides, that the story itself is pretty interesting.

At this point I think Japan really REALLY needs a vigilante group like Batman

Love you Chris, Sharla and Pete!!!

Lol I loved this weeks story! Hilarious

If it's too hard to film in Tokyo maybe go the green-screen route and add some UnrealEngine5 backgrounds. Or ask Gareth Edwards for a Hi-vis jacket.)

Oh GOD decentralized crime? That's terrifying...

Holy shit! Jake Adelstein is real? I just finished Tokyo Vice on Max! Insane story!

Tokyo Vice both seasons were good. I'd say 2 is even better because it ties it all together in the end. Def watch it!

Police Quest reference ftw

Tokyo Vice season 2 is great.

unfortunately watching tokyo vice it's so hard in my country, i cannot watch it on paid platforms, and i cannot even watch it with free streaming sites, except season 1

Talking of books, do either of you have any opinions on Robert Twigger's Angry White Pyjamas, or Alan Booth's The Roads to Sata?

Hello Chris and Pete! Thank you for making me aware that the second season of Tokyo Vice is already out. I enjoyed the first one a lot more than I thought I would. I must agree with Pete on Bullet Train. My husband and I watched it recently and already at the very first scene where Brad Pitt (was it Brad Pitt?) walks through this street on the phone I was like "Hang on, THAT'S not Japan." It looked like some weird idea of Japan town somewhere in the U.S.. Needless to say, it made me really not enjoy the movie. As someone who has been to Japan, it was actually quite horrible to see.

I would sure love a Abroad in Japan temple speedrun :D

Acapulco heat is the one to watch 😂

i believe Karate kid 2 was filmed in the philippines but set in JP.

anyone else getting "the Dollars" from Durarara!!! vibe from this new crime group?

It would have been funny if the video had been sponsored by the Yakuza and you would have said only positive things about them 😂

1st time here and this is great

3:00 please watch episode 9 of season 2 it is freaking amazing

"when you are a bloke, things do dangle"

You name dropped Ansel Elgort. (Who appears to be pretty fluent in Japanese himself) But not Tokyo Vice co-star, and friend of Abroad in Japan, Ken Watanabe! 😧😧

I normally don’t follow other Japan “Influencers” other than Chris, and maybe it’s because Chris considers himself a filmmaker

Yami baito... an almost too innocent term for the thing. xD Yeah, it's like, this isn't a Japanese problem, it's a global one. Between local news and cop cam videos from the US, I'm seeing more and more cases of crimes, very poorly planned and very off the cuff style things, that people doing it will say they were scammed or recruited online for something else, but ended up in the situation after being blackmailed or something similar. And I've seen cases were organized crime is behind the scenes. I remember one cop cam case where they got a drug addict, male white in his 40-50s or something, flying all over the country doing bank fraud jobs in smaller towns, just to get his daily dose of whatever. He had handlers which were also not part of the criminal organization behind it, but rather temp hires. It was all sorts of messed up with tons of layers. Difference being that the numbers for couple of years that Japan has, happens in a single week or so here. xD But you know, bound to happen when so much of crime has migrated to the Internet already.

Maybe I'm just one of those books snobs, but I could not get into the Tokyo Vice HBO series. I hate when television diverts from the source material and presents things either out of order or introduces their own spin.

Love the lasagna cat reference!

Interesting, I thought that the Yakuza was getting taken over by the Chinese Triads.

Tokyo Vice book is about 10 years old. Book seems maybe 48 per cent true.

We should campaign to get tokyo vice back

Hiccups: bear in mind that while people tend to be quiet, trains themselves aren't in Japan. They're quite rattly and shaky. You'll be fine mate.

14:44 one can only tell the truth, one can only lie - haha nice one Pete

Japan now has hotline Miami

Spa-land != Soap-land. Spa land is chill and fun. Soap-land is the shady place.

yakuza prime is long gone deez days

Tokyo vice is tremendous

I think Chris is enamored with Tokyo Vice as his idol Ken is in it?....... hmmmm

The real question is: how can I start my own yakuza?

Ugh watch the series. I am sure it is out there

The answer is "Like a Dragon", right? I heard about this.

My boyfriend loved Tokyo Vice!