Is Tokyo a dangerous place to go to?

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Wed May 07, 2008 8:59 pm

I'm looking into going there in the future to spend some time (and bring back some loot, obviously), maybe a week or two. Thing is, I'm in a point in life where I don't feel like being mugged or having a bad time. Is Tokyo as dangerous as, say, Mexico or any other south american metropolis?

The only place I've been to is Spain, and I have never felt the country was dangerous. Maybe once in Barcelona (where we got pickpocketed), but otherwise, nothing. Not even in Madrid, which I thought was pleasant.

Any pieces of advice for a guy visiting Tokyo alone, or with a wife and kid?

Thanks, guys!

Ceph · Post by **Ceph** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:00 pm

KindGrind wrote:Thing is, I'm in a point in life where I don't feel like being mugged or having a bad time. Is Tokyo as dangerous as, say, Mexico or any other south american metropolis?

Is this a joke?

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:04 pm

Not at all. Does it really sound like one?

Ceph · Post by **Ceph** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:04 pm

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:06 pm

How so? About the mugging part? Or about Tokyo being as risky and sketchy as balls as Mexico?

MX7 · Post by **MX7** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:07 pm

It seems a lot of people think of South America as being some hotbed of death and murder, while waps also think of Japan as being some crime free Utopia.

I read some travel book in high school that said Japan has a very low crime rate and people leave their bikes unlocked, and generally frolic around, free from strife. Prob bullshit though.

JUX.Jaggsen · Post by **JUX.Jaggsen** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:15 pm

MX7 wrote:It seems a lot of people think of South America as being some hotbed of death and murder

Take a tour through Bogotá or Rio.

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:15 pm

For a foreigner, even one that speaks the language, most South/Central American capitals, with the exception of maybe Montevideo & Buenos Aires, are, for a fact, not entirely safe. I've got countless examples.

This is not folklore or urban legends. When I said "I'm past being mugged and all", I just meant that the idea of someone backpacking through Calcutta, Rio or random Central American cities seems like a very weird idea of entertainment to me.

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:17 pm

JUX.Jaggsen wrote:
MX7 wrote:It seems a lot of people think of South America as being some hotbed of death and murder
Take a tour through Bogotá or Rio.

My thoughts exactly, posted as I was typing

Ceph · Post by **Ceph** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:20 pm

MX7 wrote: I read some travel book in high school that said Japan has a very low crime rate and people leave their bikes unlocked, and generally frolic around, free from strife. Prob bullshit though.

Nope, anyone who has ever been there can confirm it's true. Of course there's some organized crime behind the scenes (the Yakuza), but they'll not mug you in the streets or anything.

seattlexc · Post by **seattlexc** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:21 pm

I was in Tokyo for about a week and I've never felt so safe before. I was walking around Shinjuku alone at midnight and felt completely safe, so yeah, Tokyo is not a dangerous place, based on my brief experiences.

edit- I actually remember walking around with a big fat coat on that had wide pockets and one pocket had my wallet while the other had my passport or digital camera. Those would have been gone within a matter of minutes in most large metropolitan areas, but like I said, I felt safe in Tokyo.

djvinc · Post by **djvinc** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:46 pm

I walked down the streets there, with 2 visible PS3 in each hand, and I couldn't imagine something bad happening to me.

Criminality on the streets is _zero
Proof that there is no need to carry guns to feel safe.

Jonathan Ingram · Post by **Jonathan Ingram** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:06 pm

Is Tokyo a dangerous place to go to?

Yes, very. Check out Yakuza/Ryu ga Gotoku game for the PS2. It gives a good idea of what real Tokyo is like - you can barely go two steps without being molested by gangsters, pimps and street punks.

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:09 pm

I hear nuclear explosions are quite frequent, too.

Skykid · Post by **Skykid** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:10 pm

Japan has the lowest sex crime rate in the world, although that's probably because there's a section for kiddie porn manga in the bookshop.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:37 pm

For KindGrind,

On my first day in Japan inside a Tokyo subway station, I was surprised to see a Japanese salary man place his expensive looking suitcase outside a Japanese public restroom, proceed inside to do his business, and walk back out to scoop it up...it was still there during the whole time that he was inside. Trying doing that same thing in the USA, and it won't last long, my friend... ^_~
The Japanese are very polite and will even go out of their way to help show you where to go (assuming if they can speak some English, of course) -- I thought that was very touching myself. It helps to speak some basic Japanese phrases to get the point across though such as "Domo Arigato" translated into "Thank You" after returning the favor. ^_~

If you were think of this senario of take such a big city like San Franciso or New York and replace the general population with very polite people, that is the basic viewpoint that a foreigner like you and me would notice about Tokyo... ^_~

Is perfectly safe to walk around at night with the wife and kid in tow on the sidewalks of Japan if you should decide to bring them with you, it'll be a trip you won't ever forget...

One time, I was riding the Japanese subway and noticed this Japanes gal come in and take her seat, Within a space of a few minutes, she was literally "out of it" -- meaning she was in a deep sleep. She quickly got up at her scheduled stop -- how she did that, I honestly don't know to this day...

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:48 pm

Earthquakes.

Very dangerous if you're going to visit in 1923 (Great Kanto), Kobe in 1995, or earlier today.

Wait, that 6.8 and a 5.4 (or so) half an hour later didn't do shit to Tokyo.

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:01 pm

One time, I was riding the Japanese subway and noticed this Japanes gal come in and take her seat, Within a space of a few minutes, she was literally "out of it" -- meaning she was in a deep sleep. She quickly got up at her scheduled stop -- how she did that, I honestly don't know to this day...

And later that day, upskirt pictures of her while she was asleep were probably uploaded to Futaba Channel's train board.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:10 pm

FIL wrote:
One time, I was riding the Japanese subway and noticed this Japanes gal come in and take her seat, Within a space of a few minutes, she was literally "out of it" -- meaning she was in a deep sleep. She quickly got up at her scheduled stop -- how she did that, I honestly don't know to this day...
And later that day, upskirt pictures of her while she was asleep were probably uploaded to Futaba Channel's train board.

Lol...wink-wink, nudge-nudge

Back in early 2000, Japanese cell phones were just starting to emerge with built-in digital camera functionality but they were pricey and out of reach even for me...

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

NTSC-J · Post by **NTSC-J** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:45 pm

Skykid wrote:Japan has the lowest sex crime rate in the world...

Absolute BS. I'd say Japan's rate of sex crimes is as high as any industrialized country, if not one of the top offenders. The key difference is that women don't report it because there's a stigma involved and they're generally encouraged not to. When I lived there I talked to classmates that mentioned casually getting assaulted or raped. The sexism and mistreatment of women is my biggest problem with the country and turns my stomach. Hell, Japan is responsible for one of the biggest sex crimes in human history, the rape of Nanking, and today a lot of people over there have the gall to deny it ever happened.

Still, in terms of general crime, Tokyo is as safe as it gets.

zinger · Post by **zinger** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:55 pm

I saw some thugs in a car chasing a guy on foot through a pedestrian street / car free zone. It looked like he ran for his life, scary shit!

That was in Osaka (Amerikamura) though. And that aside, Japan is about the safest place I've ever visited.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:59 pm

Violent crime, theft, robbery, and all that shit is amazingly low. Murder does happen, and as NTSC-J pointed out, rape. These seem to happen outside of the city 80% of the time. There's just too many fucking people in the city for it to go unnoticed. Although one of the most famous cases in recent history happened across the street from me. Shitty marriage. Woman bludgeoned her husband while he slept. Cut him up to dispose of the body. She got 15 years.

On that note, Tokyo is about as safe as any large city can get. You can pass out drunk in a dark alley and rest assured that you'll be fine when you come to.

Skykid · Post by **Skykid** » Thu May 08, 2008 12:04 am

On a lighter note, lol @ Japan.

Thank god for number plates, eh?

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Thu May 08, 2008 12:08 am

People in Japan can get away with that because more people in Japan don't have a tenuous grasp on differentiating between fantasy and reality than in other countries, and 75% of the time it's a really, really big joke to whoever is offended.

While I hate Japanese society and culture a hell of a lot there are some good points about it.

jpj · Post by **jpj** » Thu May 08, 2008 12:15 am

skykid, you've outdone yourself again

UnscathedFlyingObject · Thu May 08, 2008 12:23 am

Skykid wrote:On a lighter note, lol @ Japan.

Thank god for number plates, eh?

I imagine people humping it

or it belonging to the pedo bear.

Ceph · Post by **Ceph** » Thu May 08, 2008 12:53 am

In a way, this thread is sad. "All I needed to know about Japan I learned in the shmups forum". How about going to your local library and reading a book or two? In case you have difficulties reading, they probably have travelguides with photos, too, and maybe even DvDs.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Thu May 08, 2008 1:20 am

Ceph:

-avatar with an attitude;

-signature with an official seal of approval;

-likes to play sheriff;

Come on man, take a vacation from your duty. I've read the same comment from yours truly here AND in the Geppy X WTF thread.

Look, there will be always noobs lurking here. Humankind will continue to let you down in that regard. It's up to you to decide if you really want to exercise your sarcasm on each one of them.

Tempest · Post by **Tempest** » Thu May 08, 2008 2:04 am

GaijinPunch wrote:Although one of the most famous cases in recent history happened across the street from me. Shitty marriage. Woman bludgeoned her husband while he slept. Cut him up to dispose of the body. She got 15 years.

This is why I'm always nice to any Japanese people I meet. They don't get angry, but I know all the shit they get they just store away in their brains until one day you step on somebody's foot accidentally and next thing you know they pull out a hunting knife and gut you in the middle of the street.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Thu May 08, 2008 3:22 am

Tempest wrote:This is why I'm always nice to any Japanese people I meet. They don't get angry, but I know all the shit they get they just store away in their brains until one day you step on somebody's foot accidentally and next thing you know they pull out a hunting knife and gut you in the middle of the street.

I vaguely recall reading an article quite a few years back which said that "revenge agencies" were opening up in Japan, whom you could hire to get back at people who'd made your life difficult...sort of like the mafia, but instead of killing you they'd basically prank you in various ways.

Or maybe I'm not recalling correctly...