In Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore interviews a guy called Barry Glassner in South Central, LA. They talk about how the area is supposed to be very violent and scary, and about how these ideas/preconceptions are created by the media.
Glassner notes that news on crime has increased, even as the number of crimes has decreased. There are some statistics on this sensationalism here.
On the train this morning, the whole carriage was taken up by posters telling me how scared I should be of various different things in Tokyo. I have looked around the web, and cannot find examples of these posters, but they gave warnings like '56% of all pickpocketing occurs on trains' and 'Leaving your purse in your bicycle basket is asking for trouble'. The bicycle poster actually advised keeping away from busy roads. I cannot remember the details of the other posters.
As I wrote last week, 35% of house robberies happen when a thief enters through an open window or door. Most Japanese people are blissfully unaware of the dangers of pickpocketing and robbery. In England, I always keep my wallet in my jacket pocket. In Japan, I sometimes put it in my bag. In the UK, you have to hide your mobile phone or iPod or you may get mugged for it. In Japan, no-one gives these things a second thought.
So there is definitely a need for a bit of education in Japan. Many Japanese are easy targets for fairly simple thefts and scams. In one, the 'ore ore sagi', the 'bad guy' calls an elderly Japanese person (usually a woman), and just says 'It's me'. The elderly person then says, 'Is that you, Yoshi/Taro/Atsushi/name of other male relative'. The bad guy then says something along the lines of 'Yes, that's right. I am short of money, because I had a car crash/lost my job/had a bit of bad luck at the racecourse' etc etc, and then asks to be sent some money. The elderly 'relative' then sends the money, often hundreds or thousands of dollars, to someone who calls and says 'It's me'.
OK, so awareness of crime is poor here, most houses are not well secured, many people regularly walk around with hundreds of dollars of cash in their pockets or bags, and the government is trying to make people aware of the risks/dangers.
I'm just not sure that the hysterical tone of the train posters is very helpful...
Posted by Gary at March 23, 2004 03:46 PMI was in Tokyo in 1995, and a guy in my room at the youth hostel had left his video camera at the bus stop, and not realised until the next morning. I walked there with him, and it was still there. The youth hostel owner said "of course. why would someone take it if it wasnt theirs".....good question.
Posted by: Kris at March 25, 2004 09:23 AMThere was a really interesting feature in a Tokyo Classified-type free magazine recently. I forgot the name of the magazine, but I saw it at Pink Cow.
It had little bits about all the things Japanese are supposed to be afraid of, and the odds that they would effect someone.
I'll try to remember what the name of the magazine was. (Dang! really makes for a weak comment if you can't remember the name of the magazine... like forgetting the punchline of a joke)
Posted by: kevin at March 28, 2004 06:40 PMJust to add to this, Ito Yokado, the supermarket chain, also has posters all over the place showing the most common ways pickpockets steal money from unknowing housewives (from the basket of the bicycle), just leaning over and swiping the purse from the top of a shopping bag, etc)
Posted by: Gary at March 29, 2004 12:17 PMThe invasion of Euro-US capitalist culture in Japan will have the effect of creating a culture of jealousy and eventually fear.
Posted by: Dom at July 27, 2006 10:06 PM