Acknowledgements

It doesn’t take a village to write a book, but it sure does help.

First and foremost, this English edition would never have been published in such fine shape without the painstaking editing of Henry Rosenbloom at Scribe. Thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty.

I would also like to thank Shoko and Amy Plambeck, who both had a hand in editing this manuscript. Shoko did the first pass, and her sister, Amy, did the second pass, suggesting better wording and offering glib commentary here and there that helped tighten up the book. I had the pleasure of working with both of them from 2022 to 2023 on our award-winning podcast about those who go missing in Japan, The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods.

Jessy Nakamura, my sweetheart, who kept me company during most of the pandemic, was the dedicated reader—going over the book chapter by chapter, with great enjoyment and enthusiasm—and sometimes offering excellent advice. She’s the best.

In addition, Lauren Hardie, formerly my copy editor at The Daily Beast and also a lifelong friend, lent a hand here and there. Julianne Yuki Chiaet, who was the amazing editor behind The Last Yakuza, also offered useful advice. As did Ben Dooley, journalist, fellow Jew, and a mensch. Kaori Shoji, the best writer I know in any language, also helped me get past a writer’s block that could have derailed the whole book. William Clark, my debonair and Tibetan Buddhist saint of a literary agent, made sure this book would show up on your bookshelf and in the non-French-speaking world as well.

During my time as a private eye, Action and Zippy always had my back on everything I did, and were the best partners in security you could ever ask for. Action is like the older brother I wish I had. He’s writing his own book—it will be amazing. I also would like to thank Mr Oldman, who’s real name I can’t put in the book: he was a joy to work for, and a man of tremendous moral integrity and courage.

I want to express my condolences and thanks to some people who are no longer here. Toshiro Igari, you were the best lawyer I ever had, and a wonderful mentor. I hope you come back as a well-taken-care-of bulldog in the next life. I wish that Christopher Dickey, of The Daily Beast, was still here to read this book. He was an amazing journalist, a superb editor, and, wow, do I miss him.

Nico Hines and Noor Ibrahim are doing a fine job of carrying on his tradition, as is Katie Baker. Noah jumped ship for Rolling Stone, but who could blame him? It’s a great gig, and he’s doing it well. Andrew Salmon, my editor at Asia Times, has also been a delight to work with.

A deep and humble thank you to my brutally honest and often very funny Zen master, Ryōgen. I swear I’ll solve that koan and master folding my robes in this incarnation. Thank you also, to Pico Iyer for your Dalai Lama–like sense of humor and friendship. Larry Futa, everyone’s favorite former special agent—I wish you were still in Tokyo, dude. Jim Stern, thanks for always having my back. Ken, don’t go back to the agency. We civilians need you.

Thanks to Mari Yamamoto, my best friend, and co-writer at The Daily Beast since 2015. I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you succeeding in your other career, as an actor—although I miss doing the audition readings with you. Thanks to your occasional, “Could you try not to breathe?” admonitions during those tapings, I’ve developed better lung power. I may be amphibious someday. Jokes aside, you and Wolf are the best. I’m in debt to JT Rogers, playwright, wonderful friend, high-school pal, and the showrunner of Tokyo Vice (HBO Max). Because he and Alan Poul (and the magnificent Mari Yamamoto behind the scenes) did all the heavy lifting, I was able to concentrate on this book, the sequel to Tokyo Vice, rather than on the TV show.

A special thanks to Jessica Walker Roberts, Mimi’s best friend, for her support and understanding.

I want to say I’m also very grateful to everyone on the crew of the The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods podcast, mentioned above, which was made during the writing of this book. Josh Dean, our fearless and ever-patient leader (Campside Media), Taka Yasuzawa (sound engineer supreme), Thisanka Siripala (our lovable producer and Japan’s first Sri Lankan Private Eye), and, of course, the Plambeck Sisters (Shoko and Amy). Kudos to Himari Semans, intern and journalist, and the childhood friend of Beni Adelstein, who also worked on the show.

I’m also grateful for my son, Ray Adelstein, for working so hard to get a scholarship, enabling me to pay rent this last year as well. 

My deepest and most profound thanks go to Cyril Gay, Clemence Billiaut, and Guillaume Guilpart, the founders of Marchialy. Tokyo Vice was the first book they ever published, and this is the fourth book that I’ve written with them. Like many authors, I can be stubborn and a little difficult, but they have always managed to work with me to make the final product something worthy of being a Marchialy title: creative, meaningful, and eye-opening narrative nonfiction. They’re not my publishers—they’re my second family. And the latest addition to the family, Doug Headline, did a superlative job in becoming my voice in French. I am very grateful for his translation and transmutation of the book from English to French.

Finally, thanks to you who are reading this now and have perhaps read my other works. A writer doesn’t exist without a reader, and hopefully by the time you’ve finished this, you’ve not only been entertained, but you’ll leave the book feeling a little more enlightened about the world. What wisdom I’ve learned in my fifty-five years of life is written down here for you.

Be well.