Safety in Tokyo

[asifo]

I was wondering how safe Tokyo is, as in can I walk around at 2am without getting jacked?

I'm from Queens so I don't forsee any real problems but I'm curious.

[andreas]

supersafe compared to almost anywhere in the world.

[DJ_Flame]

It's really safe. Tokyo has one of the lower crimes rates. most people there don't try to lead a life of crime because it is considered disgraceful, and since most of the crime is organized, solitary mugging isn't common.

Getsuga Tenshou

[chromesquared]

Totally safe, B4 I went to Japan my friends said, "Dont go to kabukicho". So, the first night Im there I meet up with a friend and hes says, "lets go to kabukicho" Anyway, if youre from NY you might find the "bad areas" amusing in comparision with bad US cities.

[herpsky]

it's safe but

i'd stay away from kabukichou. even though im japanese, ive always stayed away from that place. i just dont feel comfortable in there

yeah

[samsikle]

what goes on there? in comparison to..?

[MilSpex]

Quote:

what goes on there? in comparison to..?

--- Original message by samsikle on Feb 3, 2006 04:10 PM

like the old NY Times Square of Tokyo?

Be Advised: Morgan Nixon AKA Moman631 AKA Moman6040 is a fraud.

[DaBestSpoona]

Kabukicho is probably the worst. I've seen a guy get stabbed and a guy get beaten to a bloody pulp for shoplifting from Don Quijote.

You're from Queens right? I think the closest safety comparison would be Forrest Hills, if Jamaica was 800 miles away on a separate continent.

[herpsky]

if you go during the day and stay away from those shady alleys, youll be okay...i think

[lyingonyourdriveway]

tokyo is gangster! Have you never played shenmue??!?!?!?!

[tintin]

japan is probably the safest place on earth, without a doubt!

i lost my wallet and mobile phone one night when i was going home drunk, and the next day the police station had contacted my work and made arrangements for me to pick everything up. all the money i had was still in my wallet, and they were very concerned that none of it had been taken!

you could probably drop at 10,000Â¥ note (100$US) in the middle of a busy street and, --if you taped your name and address to it-- it would find its way back to you. seriously.

i think it would just never even occur to most japanese people to cheat, lie or steal. like dj flame said, its considered disgraceful. it's a great country that way.

[Guest]

my prized orange mountainbike got stolen right out the front of the omotesando koban [police box manned 24 hours a day...]

i once found ¥30,000 in a citibank ATM [and kept it]... so just only hope if you lose your cash a opportunist foreigner doesn't find it.

i've lost my wallet twice in taxis and it never came back... but i left a credit card in an ATM and that came back. when i picked it up from the police station they made me fill out and sign a form which roughly translated meant that i was obliged to give the finder a token reward if they demanded one...which might explain why people hand things in...??

never take photos in vicinity of kabukicho [unless you want to be abused by cheesy men wearing mid-80s versace]

[sufu1]

my prized orange mountainbike got stolen right out the front of the omotesando koban [police box manned 24 hours a day...]

i once found ¥30,000 in a citibank ATM [and kept it]... so just only hope if you lose your cash a opportunist foreigner doesn't find it.

i've lost my wallet twice in taxis and it never came back... but i left a credit card in an ATM and that came back. when i picked it up from the police station they made me fill out and sign a form which roughly translated meant that i was obliged to give the finder a token reward if they demanded one...which might explain why people hand things in...??

never take photos in vicinity of kabukicho [unless you want to be abused by cheesy men wearing mid-80s versace]

superfuture1

http://superfuture.com

[herpsky]

when i was in elementary school in tokyo, i found a wallet on the street and turned it in to the nearest police box. the owner of the wallet happened to live in kanagawa ken (at least an hour away) and she came all the way over from kanagawa to my place in tokyo to visit me.

i think she gave me gift certificates and pastries (?).

that was kinda cool

[Kasper]

i'm a student at a tokyo university now and they really make sure we now what to do if something happen (i think i could now give a class on what to do if there's an earthquake, fire etc). anyway, we went to visit a police station and so of course, the policemen took us to the lost and found sections. anyway, everyday, they get people who are bringing in money they found on the street. if no one claim it within 3 months, they get to keep the money. Japan got the be the only country in the world where people do that. i would die to see someone go to the police station and claim he lost his money.

anyway, the bottom line is:Japan is safer than pretty much everywhere i've been so far, althought i have to say Norway is quite close. however, it's not a perfect place and bad things happens. and i mean, here is not the only place where people are honest. last year, i left my ipod at the gym and someone turned it in. anyway, the biggest danger in my opinion is buying a nice umbrella and have someone "trade it" for a cheap 100 yen one. took 3 umbrella for me to understand why everyone carry cheap ones.

[mickey holmes]

There are plenty of so-called rough areas of Tokyo, eg: Kabuki-cho, Roppongi, Shibuya, Ueno, but it's nothing compared to other cities like London or NY.

Of course, if you go looking for trouble you'll find it, but only in the shithole that is Roppongi have I seen any real trouble, and that's mostly from other foreigners, usually US marines/navy boys or illegal immigrants. Shibuya is heading the same way as Roppongi.

Kabuki-cho and I think walking on a little farther to Shin-Okubo has a certain atmosphere to it, but there aren't usually hordes of foreigners there, usually Yakuza and Koreans. They won't go out of their way to mug you unless you enter 1 of their places of business....

That being said, I've spent 4 years in Tokyo, and I have noticed it becoming a little rougher, so never take things for granted.

[djrajio]

Shibuya has somewhat improved in the last year however. The police cracked down on loiters, mostly Centa-gais and Gyarus that used to hang around til the late nights. You still have patches of them, but not to the extent that used to exist even just a year ago. Probably also coincides with the decline in Gyaru wear like Alba Rosa, etc. Finally, they cleaned up Hachiko with the designated smoking areas, added more cops, and put the new laws/stricter laws on loitering. It still has a 'dirty' vibe late at night but not as bad as Roppongi; which is just depressing. Ikebukuro still has the teenage gangs, but I think the trend has wained somewehat in the last couple years...