Toppamono: Outlaw. Radical. Suspect. My Life in Japan's Underworld Hardcover – September 30, 2005

Toppamono is a speedy, exciting and somewhat bumpy ride through the first 50 years of the author's life as yakuza scion, student subversive, criminal suspect, paparazzi reporter and eye-witness to the expansion and eventual bursting of Japan's bubble economy. Although neither an intellectual nor a gifted writer, Miyazaki tells a riveting tale of postwar Japan as it successfully pulls itself out of poverty only to devour itself with greed. Like his life, his writing style is unpretentious and choppy, and he frequently flits back and forth between personal observations, historical events and the nitty-gritty now. However, there is method to Manabu, as he concludes in the Epilogue. And this is where things go a little bit loopy. Toppamono, one must not forget, was written for a Japanese audience, whose weltanschauung differs considerably from that of Americans and that of Europeans. Throughout Toppamono, Miyazaki's sympathy for Japan's gangster class is never far from the surface, and he frequently hints at an expanded role in society for the yakuza. In the book's Epilogue, he fesses up, describing the ideal future as one where the chivalrous yakuza will join with its Korean and Chinese counterparts to punch a hole in global Western culture and recreate a brave new world; and as one in which the scar-faced will rightly return to their roles as community cops and enforcers of corporate and political purity. Cuckoo. Fortunately, his sentimentality can be put down to his yakuza roots, and the reader doesn't have to take Miyazaki's opinions too seriously to enjoy what is a rollicking story and an important piece in the literary jigsaw of post-war Japan.

Toppamono - roughly daredevil or lunatic - in Japanese is the appropriately titled autobiography of one Miyazaki Manabu born in the second half of the Shoowa era (1926–1989) and covering the period into the Heisei era, which began in 1989.Born in a Yakuza household to a father who headed his own gang, the man would go on to become a schoolyard bully, defender of the weak, thug, traveller, communist, anarchist, reporter, speculator and become embroiled in several of Japan's more prominent post-war crimes and debacles. It is a life worth knowing for adventure and misadventure, legal and mostly illegal, but more importantly lends insight to the reader's perception of the Yakuza thugs, capitalist thugs, police thugs, government thugs and the famed bubble economy of the late '80s and more. In fact, when one thinks about it, the book is above all a humanistic critique of the rigged nature of the Japanese society and modern life. It is a fascinating read and really paints a gritty picture of post-war Japan that a historian or scholar could not. The book is elaborative and descriptive.The book is divided into two sections. The first, 1945 to 1975, coincides with the man's birth in Kyoto, his schooling (to the degree that he studied, that is) in his birthtown and Tokyo and the second, from 1975 to 1996, when the man went into the workforce as an employee, then business owner and later, er, freelance entrepreneur. Spoiler alert: violence, thieving, cheating and beatings abound. As a child, he was called 'bon' as the son of a Yakuza boss. Amazingly, he made millions and ended up bankrupt anyway. The man was involved in the protests against the Japanese-American alliance and the Vietnam War, arguably Japan's biggest criminal story, the Glico-Morinaga case, and an operator often wanted by the cops. The book's cover even features the police's sketch of the wanted suspect, which coincidentally (or not) bears a resemblance to the author. To make money he once lied to a subcontractor that the government had given him a contract to dismantle a train bridge. It was not true. The money was good though. Then again, it was during the course of another deal when the author was shot in a Kyoto eatery. Elsewhere, there is barbaric animal cruelty on page 24, information on the Burakumin (the Japanese untouchables) and the student movement. Strangely, there is very little said about the cooperation between the ruling LDP government and Yakuza during this period. The book goes off course often, but comes back to the man quickly enough as the story and the meanderings are the author's life.There is a regret in the man's tone regarding the changing of the times and much criticism regarding the crooked cops and bureaucracy, but read carefully and there is so much insight into the inner workings of Japanese society from the man's vantage point of view. No wonder the book had sold 600,000 copies as of 2005.It is all there. The story of a son of Yakuza, the story of a Marxist student fighter and organizer, a capitalist charlatan and swindler and a Japanese living in the thick of things.

This is a really bad book if you ask me. I read half way through and I was extremely bored. All I kept seeing were several words repeated. I thought this book would give an insight to the Yakuza world and how it functions,etc. Like the foundations. This is nothing but a simple, lame recap of a guy who went through some semi-yakuza and other dealings. Some of the details, for like 150 pages are his high-school/university demonstrations. I mean, how boring is this!. The title is about his involvement in the underworld, yet half the book is merely about demonstrations, JCP, etc etc. If you want a fun read- read Confessions of a yakuza- that is excellently written, and the story will keep you entertained. I could not pick up Toppamono after the 150th page. It was just too boring, I felt like skipping pages. What a waste of a buy.

The book starts off well with detailed insight on the author's upbringing in a small town yakuza family, but becomes very boring after the first third of the book. Unless you have a huge interest in the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) circa 1970 and student uprisings, you'll want to skip large sections of the book.To be honest I stopped reading half way in, I simply lost interest. If you're looking for yakuza-style memoirs, read 'Confessions Of A Yakuza'. Toppamono deviates too far from the gangster world that I was looking forward exploring.