Bōsōzoku: The word translates into English as "violent running gang" and refers to Japanese motorcycle gangs. They are thrill seekers and gang fighters with wooden swords, metal pipes, baseball bats and Molotov cocktails. The gangs appeared in the 50s and became associated with the Yakuza, Japan's "Mafia".

Through the 70s and 80s, Japan's ships left the harbors filled with automobiles and technology and returned with Western music, films, and lifestyles; among them evidence of the loud and fearsome Hells Angels, standing up against society and societal rules. Behold the contrast. So while North America was running around buying batteries and filling their tanks, a violent underground of rebels and anarchists exploded in Japan, fueled by the wealth of Japanese forefathers' long tradition of respect, hard work and reputation. Surprise!

Bōsōzoku recruits can be as young as 13 or 14 and according to an article in "Top Gear" "60-70% of teenagers that join the gangs leave in their early 20s and go on to pursue perfectly acceptable careers in mainstream Japanese society."

This sounds to me like Outward Bound or military school, places where parents offload their kids to get them "turned around". The Bōsōzoku are themselves militaristic, with a hierarchy of lieutenants under which which strict codes are enforced, and advancement is achievable by proving oneself under intense physical pressure and mental challenge. Says Tetsuya Anzawa, 23, from Japan, "Most members of teenage bike gangs have some problems, either within themselves or their families, but the typical Japanese way of judging people is also one of the reasons why these bikers exist. Society judges teenagers on their scholastic results. Such pressure is leading to more school dropouts, who find a place in bike gangs."

Photo, right: Cosplay (Costume Play) of Bōsōzoku members. See more this Wednesday at Royal/T in Culver City. Royal/T website