Growing up in the crime-ridden streets of Los Angeles' South Central , Darrell Gartrell could easily have become just another statistic. But a backpacking journey across Europe forever changed his fortunes. Eventually, he landed in Osaka . There, he became the one of the first African-Americans in Japan to teach English with a focus on US urban culture . His academy, called Wisdom21 , was an instant hit. But doing business in Japan was to come at a heavy price, and Darrell's unlikely success meant that he attracted, not only the upper echelons of polite society, but of the feared ' yakuza ' (Japanese mafia). Darrell shares his experiences in his book -- a penetrating travel memoir for all seasons.