Acclaimed journalist and crime writer Jake Adelstein joins award-winning adult film star Leana Lovings as the special guests on the new episode of Matt Slayer’s popular And Now We Drink podcast.
Adelstein and Lovings are each returning guests who met in Tokyo in late 2023.
And Now We Drink is like “the conversation at the end of the bar” featuring your favorite writers, comedians, adult film stars, artists, musicians and actors. No topic is off-limits as Slayer and his guests delve into their personal experiences, sharing stories and their unique perspectives on sex, relationships, and life.
On Episode 388, host Slayer welcomes Adelstein and Lovings for a thrilling, boozy conversation that blends humor, personal revelations, and an insightful exploration of their lives. Adelstein, a reporter for Japan’s largest newspaper from 1993 to 2005, and author of 2009’s “Tokyo Vice,” 2016’s “The Last Yakuza,” and 2024’s “Tokyo Noir,” is considered one of the foremost experts on organized crime in Japan. Lovings, who is presently nominated for three XMAs and two AVN Awards, including her first acting nomination, discusses her adventure in Japan with her trademark charm.
Highlights of the nearly three-hour show include a discussion of how Japan’s repeal of the statute of limitations for murder delayed the publication of his confession-filled “The Last Yakuza”; Lovings’ desire to visit a love hotel with a Hello Kitty room (“I need her presence observing me in this most sacred union!”); Adelstein’s revelation that, in his youth, he found employment providing massages for Japanese ladies; and Slayer’s unique look-on-the-bright-side take on the severing of one’s pinky in the Yakuza.
Tune in for an episode filled with laughter, honest discussions, and a unique window into worlds that are seldom explored with such openness. Whether you’re here for the industry insights, Yakuza tales, the laughs, or the vibrant personalities, this episode promises to entertain and engage from start to finish.
“Hours before this interview, I was standing in a bookstore listening to a friend of mine give a talk on the sequel to his award winning book, ‘Tokyo Vice,'” Lovings shared. “‘Tokyo Noir,’ he explained, continues the story that he lived in his forays with the culture of the Yakuza. Jake Adelstein, at the end of his book signing, greeted me with a handshake and a hug, and in no time at all we were in the den of Matt Slayer, zeroed in on our catch-ups, focused on the conclusions of our separate adventures since we’d last met.”
“One year prior, I played a part in helping him find two missing persons by infiltrating an elite club in Tokyo, and that evening with Matt and Jake, I spent two and a half hours finding out the fates of the people he was searching for. To me that was the highlight of our discussion, but it never gets old speaking with Jake — and Matt carried the conversation between the three of us with measured skill and a good helping of drinks!”
Adelstein added, “I’ve done many things in life. Been a masseur. An investigative reporter. A podcaster. And in 2017, I became a low-ranking Zen Buddhist priest. Of the ten vows, the 5th one is not to drink so much that one becomes drunk, and I almost broke my sacred vow on this podcast. Thankfully Matt led me to temptation but didn’t make me drink…too much.”
Episode 388 of And Now We Drink featuring Jake Adelstein and Leana Lovings is available at the program’s official website: And Now We Drink and on fine services such as:
