I’d consider that maybe I needed a little therapy for my weird fantasy life of persecution.
~~Channel your best Shiina Ringo and start rolling your R’s and shout HORRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA at him~~
Give him a dirty look and keep walking
Ignore and forget maybe.
Ignore, move on. Not worth the time of day.
Are clickbait style titles against the submission rules? If not, they should be.
What would I do? I’d ignore it and forget about it.
Move on with my life
This sounds like a hypothetical scenario a lot of guys would think up in the shower.
Ignore it _and never waste my time or anyone else’s time by posting about it on reddit_.
That actually has happened to me, was near a koban even, but by the time I would arrive there and get the matter across, titanium-replaced-hip-attacker would have hobbled off far away. How would they persecute it? What if the old man turns it around on you? Is it worth hours of your time? => move on & look out for yourself.
(I also like to believe that these kind of people are really lonely and bitter and get their karma in other ways.)
ETA: a way too hard shoulder check despite me side-stepping also happened once on a train platforms without guard and I was near the track – then what? get angry – they shove a bit more? maybe it was an honest mistake and they just have a tough forward pointing shoulder? maybe I did not see it right? – generally, try to always have enough space and time to side step in case someone else makes a mistake or an agression.
ETA2: I would bet a lot you are a petite/non-treatening-looking person, probably female. Easy target for the frail ego and perfect example why Japan has a low crime statistic and still individual experience can show differently. This topic is valid to post about because it wont make it into any official statistic and I bet there are plenty of people living in Japan (not necessarily non-native) that deal with this. The two-three posters who hate on you trying to figure out if you are alone, are not kind for assuming what does not happen to/ bother/ insure them, is not worth mentioning.
A female friend of mine told me she was in Sendai on her bicycle and a Japanese older guy tried to make her fall by trying to debalance her.
No need to be paranoid, but also no need to be naive about the shit that can happen.
middle finger, then keep going your way
Probably instinctively say すみません while walking on but then immediately think wtf and be slightly angry inside
Pretend to walk away, then stalk them from a distance. Find out where they live and what they love. Then make them rue the day they crossed paths with you.
Was chilling on a bench in Yoyogi park during a nice sunny spring day, i watched this younger dude dressed like it was January in nyc walking back and forth and try to elbow check a bunch of random guys, he would intentionally slowly walk in the way of oncoming runners as well
Most of the other guys went on with their lives but one runner slapped his cap off and the dude tried to chase the runner while being dressed like Method Man in 1994. I had one hell of a laugh
Id ask the dude in Japanese if he’s doing okay and needed to rest, seeing as he is the one who bumped into me.
It’d be amusing enough to hear how the dudes day was going prior to “accidentally” bumping into you.
I get paid to interview people, I would see it as an opportunity.
Speaking the language also opens plenty of avenues, but it’s the context and approach that could lead to a lot of interesting exchanges.
If he turned me down I’d simply wish him well.
Shortly, after I arrived in Japan (a year or so), I was completely hit off-guard with culture shock and ennui with the country. I despised everything about Japan, and just wanted to go back to America. I felt isolated, confused, and angry.
I was a bit drunk and walking along a busy street, and got a massive shoulder check from a middle-aged salary man. I flipped my shit, and after a string of expletives, asked the guy what was his problem.
Dude was completely oblivious and apologized. He actually spoke decent English. He explained that he really just didn’t see me. I apologized for shouting and told him I was just in a down mood, and that sent me over. We chatted for a bit, shook hands and moved on. He was actually a very nice guy.
So OP: don’t assume too much. It may have just been an accident. Ain’t worth stewing over. If they guy didn’t do any permanent damage, just move on.
hold up your pinkie finger in a mocking way, laugh, then walk away
I must say that walking in crowds is one of the strange cultural differences that took me a long time to get used to here.
I can understand it feels bitter to be slighted like that, but I’ve seen it happen to Japanese people too. People just are not as aware of their surroundings, it seems to me.
I’ve found that if I very purposefully aim my gaze down my path, projecting my intention to go that way, people tend to bump into me / get in my way less. It’s a habit now, but it took some practice.
That’s just my experience!
When I was at my hotel, some Japanese lady started asking me questions, it got to the point that started getting personal and I was like, 大丈夫？
I later asked the front staff and they told me that she was a weird Japanese lady that came and stay in the hotel from time to time. I was not the first person that she did that to too.
So probably ojisan was looking for a reaction and you weren’t the first that he did that to.
Show him your erection.
Laugh about that pathetic loser and go on with your day. Imagine what a miserable live he must have to do shit like this.
Weirdly enough, these sorta things seem to happen quite often. I have an encounter like this at least once every couple of weeks (living in central Tokyo).
This happened to me. Guy hanging around the shop I was in. Kept staring and looking away. I’d go to another section and there he was. My women’s Danger sense was going off so I did a roundabout and tried to leave. He cut me off and body checked me in the chest. I tired to just get around and that’s when Mr. Smooth started with the *where are you from? where do you live? do you live alone? are you single? Japanese OK??* I glared at him but said nothing and ran out. Cried about it later.
So I guess my advice is ignore them, run away and cry about it later.
Not exactly cool advice but it’s worked for me.
Ive been here a long time and i still have issues with this too. Idk if its just tokyo, but people really seem to have much smaller personal bubbles (a fighting game nerd might say “hit boxes”) and care less about bumping into people. Sometimes it is egregious though, and i think the best defense is good offense so a lot of times i just walk with my arms pressed into my torso so people cant knock me off balance by hitting one of my arms. Honestly i wouldnt take it personally though because most people here seem to really not be bothered by bumping into or squishing against people on the train, etc
There are people with mental health issues running around loose here just like there are anywhere else. Just ignore it and move on. If you keep getting harassed by the same person report it to the police, don’t try to handle it yourself. I’ve had a few strange encounters with a few strange people over the time I’ve been here. It’s important not to do anything that might escalate the situation.
You should have taken a dive like they do in football then started demanding for benshou.
Uproarious laughter, most likely. But I’m 6’2″ and about 300lbs. Very good chance he’d hurt himself far more than I’d feel anything.
I was out with friends and some middle aged smaller statured Japanese dude tried to do this to one of the guys in the group. My friend saw it coming, squared up, powered forward, and didn’t even look back. Sent the J dude flying.
This has happened to me a few times in my decade in Japan.
Some people are legit racist/want to start a fight People in Japan also know that you cannot hit them (or else you’re getting deported), so they’re much braver than they would be in other countries
A couple months ago I was in the grocery store and I was looking down at my shopping list. I felt like someone was really close to me and I look up and this Japanese woman (40s/50s) was right in my face. Like leaning her face into mine, glaring aggressively. I make eye contact with her and like 2 seconds later she walks off with her cart. I thought maybe it was because I was a foreigner but I saw her harassing Japanese women, like slamming her cart next to them and getting in their face. A younger guy was running around after her but not saying anything. Really bizarre.
should have grabbed the crotch.
Probably say “I’m sorry, are you alright?” I’ve been yelled at and told to go home before. That was unpleasant, but the guy kept his distance, though he followed us for a long while shouting this and that. We ended up going into a supermarket and he’d buggered off by the time we were done.
In my twenties I roared at a guy who did that to me in the middle of Shinjuku station but he completely ignored me and kept walking. So I looked like the twat. Well played shoulder-checker, well played.
Ha! Once has a person come up to me and a friend at a Aeon liquor store and told us “you sad losers really need to get your lives together and think about getting real jobs instead of coasting here as foreigners”.
Great English. Horrible attitude.
Some people are just bitter. As they don’t have my respect, they don’t get any rental space in my head. But he has provided me with a real wtf memory that just surfaced thanks to your story.
Happened to me a few times, just go about your day.
33 comments
I’d consider that maybe I needed a little therapy for my weird fantasy life of persecution.
~~Channel your best Shiina Ringo and start rolling your R’s and shout HORRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA at him~~
Give him a dirty look and keep walking
Ignore and forget maybe.
Ignore, move on. Not worth the time of day.
Are clickbait style titles against the submission rules? If not, they should be.
What would I do? I’d ignore it and forget about it.
Move on with my life
This sounds like a hypothetical scenario a lot of guys would think up in the shower.
Ignore it _and never waste my time or anyone else’s time by posting about it on reddit_.
That actually has happened to me, was near a koban even, but by the time I would arrive there and get the matter across, titanium-replaced-hip-attacker would have hobbled off far away. How would they persecute it? What if the old man turns it around on you? Is it worth hours of your time? => move on & look out for yourself.
(I also like to believe that these kind of people are really lonely and bitter and get their karma in other ways.)
ETA: a way too hard shoulder check despite me side-stepping also happened once on a train platforms without guard and I was near the track – then what? get angry – they shove a bit more? maybe it was an honest mistake and they just have a tough forward pointing shoulder? maybe I did not see it right? – generally, try to always have enough space and time to side step in case someone else makes a mistake or an agression.
ETA2: I would bet a lot you are a petite/non-treatening-looking person, probably female. Easy target for the frail ego and perfect example why Japan has a low crime statistic and still individual experience can show differently. This topic is valid to post about because it wont make it into any official statistic and I bet there are plenty of people living in Japan (not necessarily non-native) that deal with this. The two-three posters who hate on you trying to figure out if you are alone, are not kind for assuming what does not happen to/ bother/ insure them, is not worth mentioning.
A female friend of mine told me she was in Sendai on her bicycle and a Japanese older guy tried to make her fall by trying to debalance her.
No need to be paranoid, but also no need to be naive about the shit that can happen.
middle finger, then keep going your way
Probably instinctively say すみません while walking on but then immediately think wtf and be slightly angry inside
Pretend to walk away, then stalk them from a distance. Find out where they live and what they love. Then make them rue the day they crossed paths with you.
Was chilling on a bench in Yoyogi park during a nice sunny spring day, i watched this younger dude dressed like it was January in nyc walking back and forth and try to elbow check a bunch of random guys, he would intentionally slowly walk in the way of oncoming runners as well
Most of the other guys went on with their lives but one runner slapped his cap off and the dude tried to chase the runner while being dressed like Method Man in 1994. I had one hell of a laugh
Id ask the dude in Japanese if he’s doing okay and needed to rest, seeing as he is the one who bumped into me.
It’d be amusing enough to hear how the dudes day was going prior to “accidentally” bumping into you.
I get paid to interview people, I would see it as an opportunity.
Speaking the language also opens plenty of avenues, but it’s the context and approach that could lead to a lot of interesting exchanges.
If he turned me down I’d simply wish him well.
Shortly, after I arrived in Japan (a year or so), I was completely hit off-guard with culture shock and ennui with the country. I despised everything about Japan, and just wanted to go back to America. I felt isolated, confused, and angry.
I was a bit drunk and walking along a busy street, and got a massive shoulder check from a middle-aged salary man. I flipped my shit, and after a string of expletives, asked the guy what was his problem.
Dude was completely oblivious and apologized. He actually spoke decent English. He explained that he really just didn’t see me. I apologized for shouting and told him I was just in a down mood, and that sent me over. We chatted for a bit, shook hands and moved on. He was actually a very nice guy.
So OP: don’t assume too much. It may have just been an accident. Ain’t worth stewing over. If they guy didn’t do any permanent damage, just move on.
hold up your pinkie finger in a mocking way, laugh, then walk away
I must say that walking in crowds is one of the strange cultural differences that took me a long time to get used to here.
I can understand it feels bitter to be slighted like that, but I’ve seen it happen to Japanese people too. People just are not as aware of their surroundings, it seems to me.
I’ve found that if I very purposefully aim my gaze down my path, projecting my intention to go that way, people tend to bump into me / get in my way less. It’s a habit now, but it took some practice.
That’s just my experience!
When I was at my hotel, some Japanese lady started asking me questions, it got to the point that started getting personal and I was like, 大丈夫？
I later asked the front staff and they told me that she was a weird Japanese lady that came and stay in the hotel from time to time. I was not the first person that she did that to too.
So probably ojisan was looking for a reaction and you weren’t the first that he did that to.
Show him your erection.
Laugh about that pathetic loser and go on with your day. Imagine what a miserable live he must have to do shit like this.
Weirdly enough, these sorta things seem to happen quite often. I have an encounter like this at least once every couple of weeks (living in central Tokyo).
This happened to me. Guy hanging around the shop I was in. Kept staring and looking away. I’d go to another section and there he was. My women’s Danger sense was going off so I did a roundabout and tried to leave. He cut me off and body checked me in the chest. I tired to just get around and that’s when Mr. Smooth started with the *where are you from? where do you live? do you live alone? are you single? Japanese OK??* I glared at him but said nothing and ran out. Cried about it later.
So I guess my advice is ignore them, run away and cry about it later.
Not exactly cool advice but it’s worked for me.
Ive been here a long time and i still have issues with this too. Idk if its just tokyo, but people really seem to have much smaller personal bubbles (a fighting game nerd might say “hit boxes”) and care less about bumping into people. Sometimes it is egregious though, and i think the best defense is good offense so a lot of times i just walk with my arms pressed into my torso so people cant knock me off balance by hitting one of my arms. Honestly i wouldnt take it personally though because most people here seem to really not be bothered by bumping into or squishing against people on the train, etc
There are people with mental health issues running around loose here just like there are anywhere else. Just ignore it and move on. If you keep getting harassed by the same person report it to the police, don’t try to handle it yourself. I’ve had a few strange encounters with a few strange people over the time I’ve been here. It’s important not to do anything that might escalate the situation.
You should have taken a dive like they do in football then started demanding for benshou.
Uproarious laughter, most likely. But I’m 6’2″ and about 300lbs. Very good chance he’d hurt himself far more than I’d feel anything.
I was out with friends and some middle aged smaller statured Japanese dude tried to do this to one of the guys in the group. My friend saw it coming, squared up, powered forward, and didn’t even look back. Sent the J dude flying.
This has happened to me a few times in my decade in Japan.
Some people are legit racist/want to start a fight
People in Japan also know that you cannot hit them (or else you’re getting deported), so they’re much braver than they would be in other countries
A couple months ago I was in the grocery store and I was looking down at my shopping list. I felt like someone was really close to me and I look up and this Japanese woman (40s/50s) was right in my face. Like leaning her face into mine, glaring aggressively. I make eye contact with her and like 2 seconds later she walks off with her cart. I thought maybe it was because I was a foreigner but I saw her harassing Japanese women, like slamming her cart next to them and getting in their face. A younger guy was running around after her but not saying anything. Really bizarre.
should have grabbed the crotch.
Probably say “I’m sorry, are you alright?”
I’ve been yelled at and told to go home before. That was unpleasant, but the guy kept his distance, though he followed us for a long while shouting this and that. We ended up going into a supermarket and he’d buggered off by the time we were done.
In my twenties I roared at a guy who did that to me in the middle of Shinjuku station but he completely ignored me and kept walking. So I looked like the twat. Well played shoulder-checker, well played.
Ha! Once has a person come up to me and a friend at a Aeon liquor store and told us “you sad losers really need to get your lives together and think about getting real jobs instead of coasting here as foreigners”.
Great English. Horrible attitude.
Some people are just bitter. As they don’t have my respect, they don’t get any rental space in my head. But he has provided me with a real wtf memory that just surfaced thanks to your story.
Happened to me a few times, just go about your day.
The elderly do that to relieve stress.