Speaker: Richard Roa, the subject of American Maverick in Japan Many customers of Good Day Books first met expatriate American businessman Richard Roa through several memorable episodes related in Robert Whiting's noir classic, Tokyo Underworld: The Fast Life and Hard Times of an American Gangster in Japan (Random House, 1999). Nicola Zappetti, the "American gangster" of the book's subtitle, introduced his friend Roa to Whiting while Whiting was researching Tokyo Underworld. In the "Notes and Sources" section of his book, Whiting acknowledges that Roa was an invaluable source of information about Roppongi and the "water trade" during the period described in Tokyo Underworld. After regaling audiences for years with his "tales of old Japan," Roa was prevailed upon to generate a written account of his life and times in Japan. The English-language edition of Roa's memoir, American Maverick in Japan, has been well-received in both Japan and the United States. One American reviewer noted, "If anyone is interested in what life [was] like in Japan, this guy [Roa] did it all. But he does not tell us everything. So my request to the author is [that he] give us the sequel and tell us everything that was not included." Riding roughshod over Roa's reticence, which had been noted by the American reviewer (though not by Whiting, who wrote the "Introduction" to American Maverick in Japan), Roa's Japanese literary agent insisted that Roa provide a fuller account of Roppongi in the 1970s for the Japanese edition of his memoir than he had provided for the English edition. As the inaugural event of our BOOKNOTES series, Richard Roa will provide a preview of the Japanese edition of (and the English sequel to) American Maverick in Japan. A chardonnay from the Left Coast of the U.S. will be served in lieu of champagne to toast the launch of our BOOKNOTES series, as befits an inaugural talk by an American maverick. Your ticket for admission to the inaugural event of our BOOKNOTES series will be a copy of American Maverick in Japan signed by Richard Roa. Signed paperback copies of Roa's memoir may be purchased at Good Day Books for ¥2683, tax included. After he has completed his talk, "Roppongi in the 1970s: The Untold Story," Mr. Roa will field questions from members of the audience about his memoir and its sequel and also about "sticky" situations, such as the "Bob Hope Golf Club" scam, and "outstanding" personalities, such as the Kano sisters, that he has encountered during his 35 years in Japan. Customers of Good Day Books who have not had the pleasure of meeting him in person or on the pages of Tokyo Underworld may wish to read the profiles of Richard Roa that appeared in Vol. 35, No. 11 of Tokyo Weekender on 4 June 2004 (www.weekender.co,jp) and in Issue No. 536 of Metropolis on 2 July 2004 (http://metropolis.japantoday.com). |
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