Is Tokyo a dangerous place to go to?

[Damocles]

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...

Qua?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120654/

[GaijinPunch]

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

And you have how many years experience with Japanese society?

They don't get angry, but I know all the shit they get they just store away in their brains

Well, she is a woman after all.

[Twiddle]

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

And you have how many years experience with Japanese society?

Five. Either that or Sasebo is fucking terrible.

[escadrille]

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!

Tokyo is perfectly safe. Safer than Montreal, and that's coming from a fellow Habitant.

It's a fair question, so don't let people shit on you for it. It is kind of well-known as a safe spot, but you hadn't heard that. Now you have. This is how we all learn things.


Mexico City is sketchy, but even there your chances of getting in trouble are minimal. People worry too much about that kind of thing. Just roll with it and try not to act stupid and you should be fine most places. Maybe not Mogadishu, but I haven't been there.



[/i]

[greg]

I'm looking into going there in the future

In the future, the streets of Tokyo will be ruled by flesh-eating, mutant cyborg gorillas that travel around in hovering motorcycle gangs. WATCH OUT! These hovercycles are fueled by ketchup, and these gorillas believe that human flesh tastes best with ketchup. They WILL aim for you, even if you are on the sidewalks! However, take comfort in the fact that these dangerous gorilla biker gangs exist backwards in time, so as our time reference progresses, they become more and more harmless until they are cute little baby gorillas that can easily be drop kicked or tossed off from the top of Tokyo Tower. Look out below!

Also, I haven't gotten much sleep in the past 72 hours.

[sven666]

Tokyo is a fucking killer.. ninjas everywhere, you gotta fight of a dozen just to get your train ticket and another dozen before you can get on the train.. aargh.. and then theres the chuds.. dont forget your nunchuks is all i say.

[nimitz]

In short, if youre a man no need to worry.

[Ceph]

You forgot to mention Godzilla. When he's having a bad day, you are screwed.

[MX7]

Don't forget the multitute of girls with long hair imprsioning mutilated men in burlap sacks and feeding them with their own vomit :3

[bakaichi]

Don't forget the multitute of girls with long hair imprsioning mutilated men in burlap sacks and feeding them with their own vomit :3

You know KindGrind is particulary mutilated?

[charlie chong]

the most dangerous thing in japan is that stinky tofu shit.. smells like a rotted aerse that will give you aids..

[PROMETHEUS]

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.

I think that's true but not in the larger cities. I know a guy who's been living in Matsuyama (500.000 inhabitants) and could leave his bike unlocked in the street nearly without fear of being stolen.

[Shatterhand]

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

I live in Rio. I've never died or been murdered.

[antron]

Is it true that old men buy used little girl's panties from vending machines in Japan? If so how much do they cost? And can you get them in fuschia?

[sven666]

Take a tour through Bogotá or Rio.

My thoughts exactly, posted as I was typing

I live in Rio. I've never died or been murdered.

...so how many have you murdered then? (just kidding)

[Shatterhand]

I've murdered... many aliens on my spaceship

heh

To be quite honest, I know 2 people who have been shot, and I've been in in the middle of 4 change of gunshots (And in one them I felt the bullets zapping above my head and hitting the well behind me, which was really scary).

I don't know what's the image of Rio in other countries, I don't think it's as bad as some people believe, If you know where to go you'll be moderately safe...but some places here are just completely out of control.

[evil_ash_xero]

On a lighter note, lol @ Japan.



Thank god for number plates, eh?

That's f**king beautiful. *sniff*

[evil_ash_xero]

I've murdered... many aliens on my spaceship

heh

To be quite honest, I know 2 people who have been shot, and I've been in in the middle of 4 change of gunshots (And in one them I felt the bullets zapping above my head and hitting the well behind me, which was really scary).

I don't know what's the image of Rio in other countries, I don't think it's as bad as some people believe, If you know where to go you'll be moderately safe...but some places here are just completely out of control.

I've always been afraid to visit South America since I saw those "Eaten Alive" specials on Discovery. You know, the ones with some American who went to SA and got a parasite in his brain, or his ass, or whatever...and was EATEN ALIVE! Scary shit!

s/m

[Ruldra]

I don't know what's the image of Rio in other countries, I don't think it's as bad as some people believe, If you know where to go you'll be moderately safe...but some places here are just completely out of control.

Over here at my city, I've heard so many scary stuff about Rio that I don't intend on ever putting my foot there.

Nevermind about the current dengue epidemic going on there.

[Shatterhand]

I don't know what's the image of Rio in other countries, I don't think it's as bad as some people believe, If you know where to go you'll be moderately safe...but some places here are just completely out of control.

Over here at my city, I've heard so many scary stuff about Rio that I don't intend on ever putting my foot there.

Nevermind about the current dengue epidemic going on there.

And now we have Earthquakes too. If a Volcano appears in the middle of town I'm leaving.

[greg]

To be quite honest, I know 2 people who have been shot, and I've been in in the middle of 4 change of gunshots (And in one them I felt the bullets zapping above my head and hitting the well behind me, which was really scary).

I live in the scary United States and I've never known anybody who has ever been shot, and the only times I've ever seen people firing guns is at a shooting range. Perhaps now you can understand the image of your country.

I think that's true but not in the larger cities. I know a guy who's been living in Matsuyama (500.000 inhabitants) and could leave his bike unlocked in the street nearly without fear of being stolen.

Bikes get stolen in Japan all the time. If you ride a mamachari (the old woman-type of bicycle with the basket in front, you may not have to worry much about it being stolen as long as you keep the front tire lock engaged (Japanese don't drive trucks to toss bikes into th back of because the only ones who drive trucks are the country bumpkin types). Now if you have a cool kids bike or a mountain bike, you have plenty to fear. I knew people who've had their bikes stolen, even multiple times. Just because it's Japan doesn't mean you can let your guard down.

[Shatterhand]

To be quite honest, I know 2 people who have been shot, and I've been in in the middle of 4 change of gunshots (And in one them I felt the bullets zapping above my head and hitting the well behind me, which was really scary).

I live in the scary United States and I've never known anybody who has ever been shot, and the only times I've ever seen people firing guns is at a shooting range. Perhaps now you can understand the image of your country.

I don't think the problem is in the whole country.. and I can't say for every state as I don't know the whole country either.

Do you want me to make the image of Rio even worse? :p , the 2 people I know that have been shot are girls. One of them was victim of a "lost bullet", she was sleeping at home, when a bullet crashed through her window and hit her in the chin. Luckily the damage was minor... we were waiting for her to show up to an event next day, and she obvioulsy didn't.. when I called her to ask where she was, she said "I am in the hospital, I got shot!", it was really hard to believe"

The other one was my cousin, she was with her then fiance in his motobike. Some kids tried to steal the bike from him using a gun... a bus was coming behind them ,so he accelerated a bit to get out of the way of the bus, the kid thought he was trying to escape and fired the gun. The bullet zapped through my cousin's body, and hit her fiance. The guy died on the spot, my cousing stayed on hospital for a long time. Even worse, this was very close to my home, and it was around 3:00pm.

I never knew the guy though... so in theory I only know 2 people who have been shot.

And I know people who have many worse stories to tell. I am lucky to live in a not so bad place. BUT, tourists coming to Rio will never meet those places, they will go visit the beaches and nice places at the south area (I live in the North area), so they will hardly get into those situations. The city is really amazing beautiful.

edit: I never knew "Fiance" and "Fiancee" were different words

[Shocky]

Japan is safe, except for the sarin attacks, earth quakes, yakuza throwing bicycles at you, religious pyromaniacs, kids who leave the heads of their murder victims at the school gates, cannibals, bosozoku-motorpsychos chopping of gaijin heads with swords... but yeah, it's probably the only country where you can leave stuff unguarded for a while at least and not have it stolen.

Of course there are the gaijin to worry about. I was being bad and tried to steal some electricity for my cell phone from a Tokyo train station wall (so I could call the hotel for directions, it was early morning), but a salaryman came to me and yelled "NO!". I replied with a "YES!" and continued the call. The suitman came back with two security guards who started yelling and ripped my charger off the wall. There I was calmly trying to decipher the engrish on the phone and write down the directions while being chased and harassed by these assholes. Other than that I've never experienced anything uncomfortable there.

I don't know what's the image of Rio in other countries, I don't think it's as bad as some people believe, If you know where to go you'll be moderately safe...but some places here are just completely out of control.

Rio does have a bad-ass reputation here in Europe, maybe it's even considered the most dangerous city (excluding warzones). Even in a barbershop the barber told me that his friend's dad went to Rio and got his internal organs stolen (and died in the process..) I'm a practitioner of capoeira and trying to finally get to visit Rio (and Brazil in general, Amazonas, Foz do Iguaçu...), but it's not easy to find travel company, partly because people are afraid because of all these stories of constant firefights in the favelas and people getting "microwaved" and all. But then again, those who have been there never cease to praise how cool and amazing the city is...

[Skykid]

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.

Got to say Ceph, I'm with the Turrican on this one. You need to relax man!

[KindGrind]

I wonder what's the "Off Topic" section for, if not for mundane, light questions like that. Anyways, constructive answers were much appreciated.

[Shatterhand]

I'm a practitioner of capoeira and trying to finally get to visit Rio (and Brazil in general, Amazonas, Foz do Iguaçu...), but it's not easy to find travel company, partly because people are afraid because of all these stories of constant firefights in the favelas and people getting "microwaved" and all. But then again, those who have been there never cease to praise how cool and amazing the city is...

If you are a practitione of capoeira, you should go to Salvador, in the Bahia state. That's the homeland of Capoeira. It's also an amazing place (Not as beatiful as Rio, but yet it has some amazing beaches and nice places to go).

also

Rio does have a bad-ass reputation here in Europe, maybe it's even considered the most dangerous city (excluding warzones). Even in a barbershop the barber told me that his friend's dad went to Rio and got his internal organs stolen (and died in the process..)

It is a warzone. When you have drug-dealers armed with missiles and bazookas, a police helicopter pilot killed in flight by a sniper rifle, grenades exploding, what do you call it? It's a civil war to say the least. The microwave stuff is only between criminals, "normal" citizens aren't microwaved unless they are somehow involved with those criminals (Buy drugs from him, make favours, or stuff like that)

[hermosaguy]

How many years do you think it will take for Gundam escorts?

[IlMrm]

I walked around Tokyo at night, and never felt unsafe. I lived in the Tenderloin(terrible part of San Francisco) when I was a kid, having to walk past hookers and druggies to get to the school bus stop, so Tokyo is like heaven.

I know a couple of people that got shot. And there was a shooting at the end of my block a couple months ago, in broad daylight.

[Ed Oscuro]

I just got hit in the eye by a stray gundam cannon shot

kids should be careful where they aim those things, they could hurt somebody

[GaijinPunch]

I live in the scary United States and I've never known anybody who has ever been shot, and the only times I've ever seen people firing guns is at a shooting range. Perhaps now you can understand the image of your country.

The difference is in a city in the states, you use your head about where to go and when. In Japan, there is no need. You could go to the worst parts of the city at any time, pull your pants down and bend over, and you'd be fine. In an American city, there are places you simply don't go.