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Novelist, Japanese Crime Thrillers
H. A. Bryant
Gallery
Unless I specify otherwise in an Author’s Note, the places that appear in the novels—the bars, the restaurants, the martial arts training center (or dōjō, 道場), and the streets and alleyways—are all real, and I’ve visited most of them at least once a long time ago. Therefore, in order to ensure all the details are accurate (a very arduous task, I know) and because many of these locations are far away, I have made a lot of notes about these places and I have read extensively online to refresh my memory about them before I started writing.
Below in the Gallery of photos and places, you will find details about some of the restaurants, bars, and other places mentioned in the novels. For more details, go to the Novel Locales page on the Extras tab.
Kabuki-chō
Chinatown
In The Unlikely Detective thriller, my first novel, I used Kabuki-chō in Shinjuku as the location where the criminal gang the Sumiyoshi-kai (住吉会) is operating. The photo shows the main entrance or gateway to Kabuki-chō called Kabuki-chō Ichi-ban Gai (歌舞伎町一番街).
As Kelly said in Chapter 17, “I looked at the entertainment area of Kabuki-chō as we walked down the street, past hostess clubs, pachinko (パチンコ) parlors, and all sorts of goings-on.”
As the setting for my second thriller The Black Dragon Society, I used Chinatown in Yokohama as the location where a criminal gang is plan-ning to take over Japan, Asia, and eventually the world. Chūkagai-ōdōri (中華街大通り) is the main street in Chinatown, which you can see in the photo.
As Kelly said in Chapter 20, “Chūkagai-ōdōri, Chinatown’s main street. The street was really jumping.”
Also in my second thriller, The Black Dragon Society, Golden Gai (新宿ゴールデン街) located in Kabuki-chō, Shinjuku was used as the setting for Pony Tail, The Shadow’s friend. Pony Tail was meeting her patron at the “Kabuki Ryokan and Restaurant.”
As Kelly said in Chapter 9, “Cut the crap, Fumie-san, We didn’t come here just to talk. I know The Shadow is a lovely girl. I don’t need you to tell me.”
In my debut thriller, The Unlikely Detective, when Matt Kelly was passing the Almond Coffee Shop at Roppongi Crossing he was reminded of Nicola’s Italian Restaurant not too far away.
In Chapter 22, Kelly thought of one of his friends at Sophia University as he passed the area. . . Right now, my friend is dating a wonderful girl, and their favorite Italian restaurant is Nicola’s.
The photo shows the original Almond Coffee Shop. The current Almond is located about ten meters up from the original shop, here.
While passing the Almond Coffee Shop at Roppongi Crossing in my debut thriller, The Unlikely Detective, my protagonist Matt Kelly was reminded of a nearby Italian restaurant, called Nicola’s.
As discussed above in the description of the Almond Coffee Shop, when Kelly passes through the area as described in Chapter 22, he thought about one of his friends at Sophia University. This friend is currently dating a lovely girl, and their favorite Italian restaurant is Nicola’s.
The ad shows Nick Zapetti (the owner) of the original Nicola’s. There is a newer Nicola’s located about a mile from the original one. The new one is not related to the original.
The above ad for Nicola’s is from a 1974 Tokyo Weekender © newspaper.
The Pacific Stars and Stripes Building, The Hardy Barracks, and the Sands Club are frequently mentioned in both of my thrillers, The Unlikely Detective and The Unlikely Detective and the Black Dragon Society.
The Sands Club (located on the 4th floor of the Stars & Stripes Building) was a regular meeting place for Kelly and his close friend Tom Miller. It closed in the 1990s (about 1995 according to a Stars and Stripes spokeswoman).
The Pacific Stars and Stripes Building is shown in the first photo, and the Hardy Barracks in the second photo.
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