Greenfeld, Karl Taro. Speed tribes: Days and nights with Japan's next generation.
Harper Collins. September 1994. 304p. ISBN 0-06-017039-5. $23.00.
[SOCIAL SCIENCE]
Americans duped into believing that Japan has few social problems outside of political
corruption, horrendous university entrance exams and the suppression of women into
lifelong menial jobs and unsatisfying lives as caretakers for their salaryman husband s
will be shocked by some of Greenfeld's revelations: widespread methamphetamine use among
youth, a booming pornographic industry ( as a result of Japan's foray into sexual
freedom), and a skyrocketing juvenile larceny rate. Organized crime is a problem also;
replenished with disillusioned youth from the country's youth gangs, the proliferation of
the Yakuza on the Japanese mainland and its rapid expansion overseas is
frightening. The
"speed tribes," or Bosozoku, " is a catch-all term that refers to the plethora of diverse youth subcultures that have spawned as a result of Japan's famous
"bubble economy." Japan's obsession with things Western intensified during the
boom in the 80s (now predicted to crash sometime in the 90s) and is
proving disastrous to
their social fabric. A day in the life of a computer hacker, the "hostess"
industry (with few remnants of the geisha tradition that preceded it) and a motley crew of
unconventional Japanese youth as they go about their unconventional, and sometimes rec
kless lives are some of Greenfeld's other subjects. Fascinating reading, and will make
many Americans rethink any stereotypes they may have about the Japanese.
Kevin M. Roddy, University of Hawai'i at Hilo