Is Japan Safe? How crime is different here.  

Great video. One time upon arrival in Shinjuku station after a long flight I was using a pay phone(?) and absentmindedly left my iPad mini on top of the phone and walked away. When I got to my destination I realized what had happened and spoke to the host and she volunteered to take me to the Koban(police box) at the station. Sure enough someone had already turned it in. The police then called the good person who brought it to them and put me on the phone to thank them. To me this is what fosters that kind of societal reward for being a good person that the Japanese encourage.

I had my briefcase stolen one night in Osaka. I had put it on the ground while chatting to a friend, and it was pinched. I reported it to the Sonezaki police, who tried to convince me I had just lost it. That really annoyed me, because, as I had clearly told them, a taxi driver had shouted across the street to me that he had just seen a thief take my briefcase, and he pointed in the direction the thief had run off in. I insisted on filing a stolen property report, so they had to go through all the procedures including taking my fingerprints. It was handed in minus the cash and cards in my wallet, and I went to Sonezaki to pick it up from those feckless cops. On top of that, I had two bicycles stolen and one nice umbrella. Still, this all happened over the course of 35 years....

My wife told me once when she was a teenager, she walked past a mansion and behind a sliding door a man undressed himself in front of her. She said "otsukaresama," bowed and walked away.

Been here for 8 years, never experienced crime. In Vancouver it was every month.

My underwear was stolen in the university's dormitory laundry room. The dryer was forced open while it was working. I heard in my room that the machine is beeping (it was too early for the cycle to end) but I still went to have a look and I couldn't believe my eyes that the door of the dryer was open and my things were gone. I ran outside but couldn't find the culprit. So this type of crime really happens in Japan! 😠 Be careful!

Thanks for covering the topic! Love your perspectives on this stuff

Ladies, watch out for chikan and tosatsu.

Thank you for the video paul 😊

I've never really been bothered by touts. Maybe it's because people have told me that I have RDF. Who knows. That being said though, I'm absolutely aware of the problems that touts can potentially pose. I've also definitely seen the cheap translucent umbrellas used as a makeshift community resource. I don't think people get too hung up on them. I know I've left more than my fair share at conbinis or hotels.

When I tell you the joy I felt when I got to my layover and found a new ExJapter upload😌

Amazing video, love this. Can you talk about how obligations or things at home in the US have challenged your commitment to stay in Japan? Aging parents, friends, family. I think something Im going through right now is the sense that Im leaving people and things behind to pursue my dreams in Japan and thats hard because I feel like Japan is home on such a deep level for me.

Thank you for covering another interesting topic. My experience living in Japan and raising our kids there is that it is overwhelmingly a safe place to visit and to live. I can’t recall anything ever being stolen, apart from my purse which was stolen by another gaijin! Also the number of times we have left things behind in places , sunglasses, jackets, bags etc and each time they were handed in, all intact. I do though have two stories from the early 90’s that are a bit gross, that I’m hesitate to write about but I will as it is part of this topic. Twice I have been flashed at by two different guys. One was while hanging out washing off my verandah and the second more alarmingly was while riding my bike with one of our kids on the front and another on the back of the bike. The guy had jumped out from behind some bushes along a bike trail by the river. Both times we reported the incidents to the police who came to the house to take the report. The policeman who came to investigate the incident in front of my balcony also did a security check of our apartment and made a few recommendations to improve safety which we gave to the managers of our place, who to their credit installed them all! Both times the police said they believed they were crimes of opportunity as we were living in a semi-rural area with lots of construction going on with lots of people coming and going and hanging around the area. Although pretty awful at the time, it definitely didn’t change our perception and love of Japan apart from maybe making us a bit more vigilant of our surroundings, which actually isn’t a bad thing, regardless of where you are living. Thank you again and looking forward to your next topic! Roll on 5,000 subscribers!

I noticed Bicycles are often unlocked in Japan. I’ve lived in NYC, Seattle, and Honolulu, and it was very difficult for my bikes to Not be stolen. I definitely say there are way more bike thefts in the US. (I actually lived in Madison, WI, as well for afew years, but never owned a bicycle there. 😅)

Well just few days ago I find my rare tyre on bicycle soft. Someone in apartment building did that. It stole the whole damn valve and cap on the wheel!! I can’t even pump it now! And the flat I live in is just a 25 minutes walking from Arashiyama in Kyoto. 😡😡😡 so much about gorgeous Japanese!!! My husband father in Osaka ; two bicycles were stolen!!!

Another interesting video! I'm reminded of your previous video where you were discussing how Japan is not perfectly clean everywhere. That you'll find locations where dumping has occurred, even when a sign is posted to not dump there. Two of the three common crimes you talked about - stealing umbrellas and bicycles - sort of reflect the same mindset: If no one sees you doing it, it is okay. Due to the ubiquity of umbrella and bicycle usage, perhaps no one will bat an eye if someone grabs an umbrella when there is a sudden rainstorm or when someone takes a bicycle and rides away. Unless it is clearly a theft, it won't be assumed to be so. Confrontation is avoided in any case. As far as stealing panties, maybe that reflects the s*xual frustration for many men in Japan. Perhaps I'm wrong there. Here is and idea for a future video, although it is a bit out there. I've been studying Japanese for the last two years and I always see emphasis on learning mora (timing) and pitch accent with words. Given the influence of western music, with variations in timing and tones while pronouncing syllables in words , how does that impact the understanding of what is being sung? Hope I'm making sense here.

My wife told me of an opportunistic crime in Japan. When she lived there (she was 12), she was walking on the side of the rode and a man on a mortorbike (helmeted) pulled over, squeezed her breast, then rode off.

I can't find your driving in Japan video??

I knew someone who fell asleep on the train, and woke up to find her bag gone with her keys inside. She phoned the apartment building kanrinin-san/manager to let her into her apartment, and had to wait in a local cafe. When they finally got to the apartment they found the door ajar! going inside nothing was taken. Except for.... her panties from her panty draw. She was a half white / half Japanese woman who was very easy on the eye, so she was def specifically targeted.

Love your videos, I've been a new sub for a few weeks. I'm moving to Japan this coming summer to start language school. Was wondering if you knew anything about that or had insights into language schools (for Japanese) in general.

I accidentally left my credit card on the reader at a Don Quijote in a relatively small suburb pretty far from Tokyo and it was used by someone else immediately after I left. I knew because I got a notification. That means they saw it there, probably saw me walk away, and used it. I made it back to the store ASAP and ironically it was left at the customer service desk. I disabled the card for the rest of my trip and reported it stolen anyway because for all I knew someone could have taken a photo of it before it was handed in. But anyway people go on and on about how safe it is there but besides the mentally ill who do things like steal underwear and flash women and children, some people just do bad things especially if they can get away with it.

That thumbnail,gold 😂

In Japan, the majority of crime is committed by the LDP ... they don't like any competition ... I would never live in Japan by choice ...

I never lock my kei truck. First off, nobody steals a kei truck. On the other hand, if somebody did, and did some damage, I'd get blamed for it because it's registered to me. Doesn't matter if they caught the thief. My name is on the registration, so I would have to pay for any damages the thief did.

I am beginning to think we are same person, haha. We have been in Japan similar amount of time(20 years/almost 21), same color hair/eyes, had bikes stolen. Haha!

7:57 is she hiding from the sun or the camera???

How easy is it to find a good onsen?

The highest crime rate in this country was back in the 50s when only we (Japanese) lived here.

13:36 is a clear example of how considerate people are in Japan: the woman on the bicycle followed the author for a while instead of ringing her bell. In my hometown, it wouldn’t even take a second before they start ringing a bell, honking a horn, or yelling.

comparing Japan to US is just silly, you should compare to Asia

Question; What kind of Bike locks did you use, and how were they cut?? Because I am planning on moving my 2 nice bikes there from the U.S. ...Maybe an Airtag for android or something?? Your content is very informative!!!

Paul

9:15 Isn't it kind of weird? Like there's a contradiction. In a prior video you mentioned how in Japan you always felt "watched", and like you could only let your guard down while in America. But they're not as adapt at watching when they are out of Japan and find themselves walking into trouble?