Speed Tribes

Behind the neon veneer of economic triumph, Tokyo’s underground belongs to runaway bikers, mob bookmakers, and teenage outcasts.

Karl Taro Greenfeld uncovers Tokyo’s hidden underside during the collapse of the bubble economy. His reporting cuts through corporate myths to document an underworld of illegal bookmaking and amphetamine trade.

Tokyo’s neglected wards foster an alienated generation that openly defies conventional salaryman life. Rebellious youth syndicates carve out their own rackets, from reckless expressway rallies to motorcycle chop shops.

This foray into the often violent subcultures of Japan dramatically debunks the Western perception of a seemingly controlled and orderly society.
Youth Counterculture: Follows delinquent motorcycle tribes like the Midnight Angels as they rally hundreds of unmuffled bikes down expressways to clash with riot police and local vigilantes.Organized Crime: Details the daily hustles of low-level Yakuza syndicates managing illegal telephone bookmaking networks and rough loan-shark collections in Tokyo’s working-class Shitamachi.Underground Economy: Investigates the suburban chop-shop pipeline where teenage crews use modified power drills to swipe sports bikes for parts contractors in Ohana-jaya.Cultural Ethnography: Explores the contrast between high-end Roppongi hostess clubs and the isolated bedrooms of early computer otaku hacking corporate databases.