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The Blood of Tokyo
An American travels to Japan. He befriends a local salaryman. They plan to one day undertake an ambitious a lap around Tokyo's Yamanote Line. Thirty stops. One drink at each stop. Today is the day, Hiroto.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 5, 2023
25 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Matt Gibson
3 books9 followersMatt Gibson (@itsmattgibson) is a writer from New York who lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 28, 2023
Interesting
A very interesting insight into the inside of a foreign city. The advantage of seeing a place as a visitor when you have a native guide. It made me wish that I could experience Tokyo.
A very interesting insight into the inside of a foreign city. The advantage of seeing a place as a visitor when you have a native guide. It made me wish that I could experience Tokyo.
July 23, 2024
I feel like I must be an outlier here; I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I love Japan, especially Tokyo. I’ve been there 3 times. So whenever I find a book set in Tokyo, I get really excited because I hope it’ll provide me some daydreamy tourism. The premise of this story sounded awesome as well - a challenge to stop at every stop on the Yamanote line and get a drink. So already - my excitement was high for this book. However, it didn’t deliver in the way that I hoped. Yes, the daydreamy tourism was there. The author does a great job of explaining places in Tokyo and making you feel like you’re there along everyone. But I couldn’t stand the American protagonist and his friends. They’re the exact stereotypical obnoxious tourists. Loud, breaking social rules. Making misogynistic comments about a geisha. It’s not funny, it’s just annoying. The prose also felt very like it was trying to be super sophisticated and high brow. The protagonist went on sometimes waxing on life or dogs or whatever; I found myself skipping through his diatribe to get to the next plot point. The only likeable person was Hiroto but he was also obnoxious sometimes - mostly I felt egged on by the Americans.
I’m really glad others found it so profound but honestly, this wasn’t for me. Thankfully it’s a quick read.
I’m really glad others found it so profound but honestly, this wasn’t for me. Thankfully it’s a quick read.
August 23, 2025
3.5 stars
The story follows a pessimistic young American man visiting Tokyo, where he has befriended a local. There is not a lot of action - mostly just a couple of guys out drinking. A LOT of drinking. There are flashbacks to his prior visit(s) with the chapters often jumping back and forth. So sometimes it was hard to keep track of which visit he was on. The dialogue mostly entails the main character sharing his philosophical thoughts on everything. A lot of his ideas just sounded pompous rather than profound and thought-provoking e.g. “Art is humanity throwing rocks at the moon.” The Japanese man was very tolerant of him. And perhaps this was the intent, to show the contrast between the cultures: arrogant Americans vs well-mannered Japanese?
I picked up this book (at no cost) because I will soon be visiting Japan and was hoping to get a little taste of the culture before my trip. The book was successful in this regard. It captured what I envision is the essence of Tokyo at night: the lights, the crowds, the subway, the tiny bars, the minor (but well-described) Japanese characters that we come across etc. This was the best part of the book. It was a quick read, but I wasn't sure of what to make of the ending, which I felt just left me hanging over an abyss.
The story follows a pessimistic young American man visiting Tokyo, where he has befriended a local. There is not a lot of action - mostly just a couple of guys out drinking. A LOT of drinking. There are flashbacks to his prior visit(s) with the chapters often jumping back and forth. So sometimes it was hard to keep track of which visit he was on. The dialogue mostly entails the main character sharing his philosophical thoughts on everything. A lot of his ideas just sounded pompous rather than profound and thought-provoking e.g. “Art is humanity throwing rocks at the moon.” The Japanese man was very tolerant of him. And perhaps this was the intent, to show the contrast between the cultures: arrogant Americans vs well-mannered Japanese?
I picked up this book (at no cost) because I will soon be visiting Japan and was hoping to get a little taste of the culture before my trip. The book was successful in this regard. It captured what I envision is the essence of Tokyo at night: the lights, the crowds, the subway, the tiny bars, the minor (but well-described) Japanese characters that we come across etc. This was the best part of the book. It was a quick read, but I wasn't sure of what to make of the ending, which I felt just left me hanging over an abyss.
July 20, 2023
Headline: this is an excellent book. The prose is beautiful, with moments of borderline poetry, following two characters on a sort of pub crawl around Tokyo. The descriptions are rich and deep, I feel like I've been to Japan after reading this book. Gibson is an independent author who writes with growing power and rare emotional honesty. This book deals with tough topics in such a primal way. I don't want to spoil it, but the plot delivers on the title. Gibson crushes this effort, he is definitely an author to watch.
June 22, 2023
“I woke up in a coffin.” —Gibson hooked me from his first line and didn’t let go until his last.
Part buddy comedy, part atmospheric mystery, with dashes of social commentary that hit between the eyes, The Blood of Tokyo is an introspective ride that will flip you upside down, scramble your brain, and keep you guessing through the end. One of the most underrated authors in the game right now, Gibson’s sophomore novel packs a gritty punch juxtaposed with poetic prose.
“God can have the moon and the stars. I will take the lights of Tokyo, that piercing neon.”
5 stars.
Part buddy comedy, part atmospheric mystery, with dashes of social commentary that hit between the eyes, The Blood of Tokyo is an introspective ride that will flip you upside down, scramble your brain, and keep you guessing through the end. One of the most underrated authors in the game right now, Gibson’s sophomore novel packs a gritty punch juxtaposed with poetic prose.
“God can have the moon and the stars. I will take the lights of Tokyo, that piercing neon.”
5 stars.
June 23, 2024
I enjoyed the reflections of the MC in this book and the conversations between the characters. It felt melancholic to read but enjoyable. I think much of what was said resonated with me which is why I felt connected to it. I like that it did provoke some thoughts out of my brain also. I found it quite funny at times too.
October 17, 2025
Makes me want to drink and laugh with a dear friend and chase the demons away. Lovely ride.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews