I’m a 25 year old, Asian male working in Tokyo and I’m in one hell of a pinch.
Long story short, I joined my company last year in September, and immediately rumors about me began spreading. I will admit that this is in part due to my behavior and my social skills, but that doesn’t excuse the thing that I found out.
Last week, I noticed that the rumors about me were becoming increasingly specific, to the point where it seemed like they were talking about what I do on my computer in private. I thought I was just hearing things due to stress and stuff but it was just way too specific. I thought I was going insane, since I seemed to start noticing that people in the streets seem to recognize me.
I talked to my mother about my issues and she decided to come and visit me. I was reluctant to have her come at first, but then I decided it would be better for me emotionally to have a family member at my side.
Then came this week. Where they were in a meeting on how to get rid of me. Of course the discussion was weirdly specific. I walked past that room and caught a glimpse of one of their computer screens, and I immediately felt like throwing up. There I was in my room at my computer, and my mother soundly sleeping on my bed.
That’s when everything clicked. That’s why it seems like they know everything about me: it’s because they actually do!
If you have any idea, please I beg you, do tell. I am at my wits end. I disconnected every single thing I saw on the ceiling in hoping that it would get the camera, but it seems like they still know what I do.
If someone wants to help me out, here are some keywords that were mentioned in relation to me. They might yield some results:
めんどくさい
かわいい
寂しいい
甘い
隠しカメラ
盗撮
28 comments
I would talk to the police.
I would definitely talk to the police but have you checked the camera in your room? Like touched it physically after finding out about the situation?
Sounds like you genuinely might be having some sort of psychotic break or you have a gas leak in your apartment or something honestly
I feel like this story is too crazy to be true. If it is… holy crap
Police is the only solution here if what you are saying is true.
Uhh, wtf, is this post even real?Are you 100% sure you saw your room in that video? Are you sure you’re not having some sort of mental breakdown/psychotic break?
Because no offense (and not to gaslight you) but you’re displaying symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. The whole “everyone at work is talking about me, even random strangers seem to know who I am” thing is VERY symptomatic of a psychological disorder. Many, many people with this disorder think that they are being spied on with hidden cameras.
If you are SURE you are mentally 100%, then immediately talk to a lawyer and ask for advice on what to do. But before that, heavily consider speaking to a mental therapist.
Are you OK? Do you live in a company dorm, or do you have your own house/apartment? Because this seems a bit too out there to be true. The part where you mentioned people in the street seeming to recognize you sounds kind of like the beginnings of schizophrenia or paranoid delusions. Maybe you should visit a mental health professional.
DM.
This can be either 2 things:
1) you are trolling and making a terrible joke or creepy pasta for clout.
2) you are on a serious mental disorder meltdown and need help immediately.
No, nobody knows you in Japan, there is not a “Truman show” going undercover here, not on tv not on social media nor anywhere. You are not known at all.
You need to visit a mental health professional. Fast. This is like textbook for paranoia/delusions.
Sounds like an intro to a movie
Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? If not please get one. If it doesn’t detect anything please I urge you to consult a mental health specialist immediately z
It’s pretty easy – common, even – to have moments of paranoia when you’re in a new environment and stand out more than you do at home. When I have those moments, I have to tell myself that probably, the majority of people aren’t staring at me. Maybe I was turned away from the cafe because it really was full, not because they didn’t want me. And so on.
If you have incontrovertible evidence that your workplace has planted a camera in your apartment, you should tell the police. If you can’t find a camera, though, it might be because there isn’t one. Do your work have access to your apartment in some way? What would they stand to gain from putting footage online? And why would this lead to random people recognising you? Why would they pull up the footage on their screens so you could walk past and see it? It all sounds pretty unlikely, seen from the outside.
That’s not to sound unsympathetic, but you might benefit from talking all this over with a psychologist, who may be able to put your mind at rest.
1) DONT kill them all
2) Consider moving home
3) Talk to a professional
Do you live in company housing?
Are you in company housing?
Webcam on computer/devices/TV possibly. Even when off cameras/mics on these can still record vids/sounds. Hidden cam can’t be ruled out, but above most likely.
Sorry this is happening to you bro. You’re not the first and certainly not the last
If footage did go online, it’s actually the best case scenario. Then you’ll have proof of the spying and can check the angle of the camera
If not, you might not get closure easily
All you have to do to check for an IR-equipped camera is make the room as dark as possible (so that if there is a camera, the IR will be triggered), and then slowly scan the room with your phone camera. If there is an active camera with IR lighting, you should be able to find it.
If you are wondering whether there is an active camera in your room and the IR trick doesn’t work (either because there is no camera or the camera isn’t equipped with IR), then another way you can possibly find an active device is to check what else is connected to the local network.
There are a number of network analyzer apps out there that can find what devices are connected to your local network. There is one called [Fing](https://www.fing.com/) (which is available for both Android and iOS), but there are several useful ones available. These apps can find and list all of the devices that are on your network; they can also let you confirm which devices you recognize so that you can more easily find any that are not supposed to be there.
Neither of these is foolproof, of course — they are just possible methods for you to try. (And it is sort of fun playing with the IR detection features on your phone.) If you’re seriously concerned, you can go out and purchase a RF detector, which should pick up any signals coming from hidden microphones or cameras.
The most likely scenario is a mental health issue. I’m not trying to be mean, but ask your mother for help to find foreigner-friendly psychological support.
The situation that you describe is very irrational and unrealistic, so I really think you should talk to a mental health professional immediately.
sometimes this kind of psychosis can be caused by a brain tumor, but honestly dude take some time off work and maybe check yourself into a mental hospital.
Do you work for one of those big 4 cult eikaiwa? If you do, I recommend exiting now.
If you’re experiencing mental health issues and potentially need to go to a psychiatric hospital, Japan probably isn’t the place to go because they can hold you for up to a year. I’d say return home. As someone who has had paranoid delusions, I used to feel like everyone was watching me whenever I’d go outside and like people were constantly judging me/making fun of me. I couldn’t even go out with friends and enjoy myself anymore because I was so paranoid about this stuff.
I thankfully was able to sort all of my issues out before coming to Japan and now I’m doing great (it wasn’t related to anything like schizophrenia thankfully). But, the first couple months of living here really did take a number on me concerning my mental health and it was probably the lowest I’d been in a while due to the stress of moving and integrating into a new place permanently. It could be a similar circumstance with you too.
If your company is truly doing those things though, then take the other people’s advice concerning that.
Finally, ignore the people that are calling you crazy because they probably have some unresolved issues themselves lmao. Just get some help and you’ll be successful. Hope it works out for you.
The longer version with details would have probably helped.
Where is the room they are spying on? Is it your private apartment? Is it company owned? If not company owned how would they get in it?
How are you hearing these rumors? Especially to the point where they are detailed?
Who’s computer did you see the image or video on? Did you not have a phone with a camera to immediately stop whip it out start recording & go straight to the police with evidence? Or immediately go up to the person watching you on their screen?
This may sound mean, but realistically, why would people care this much about you? Why would your life be the topic of every conversation? Why would firing you be the topic of every meeting? Why would people waste time watching your mundane, everyday life on camera? *especially* at the workplace in broad daylight? Why would everyone in your office just be ‘okay’ with having and watching a hidden camera set up of another employee?
Even if you were the most hated person in the entire world, I don’t think I could think of anyone who would waste time doing this, let alone a whole office full of them. No one cares about you this much.
Unless you accidentally signed up to be part of a weird game show or social experiment (you didn’t, by the way, this is hypothetical), this wouldn’t be happening. So maybe step 1 should be trying to de-stress a little bit. Sounds like you’re under a lot of duress
But, to put your mind at ease, it’s never a bad idea to check for a camera, and there’s technology to do that. Please don’t turn into Chuck from Better Call Saul and sever every wire in your house
If you find the camera, you can do all kind of legal shit to them. So actually this is a gold mine
I am seriously concerned for your mental well-being OP. And many others here too, I see. You passingly mentioned that you got some issues because of your behavior, have you been dealing with mental problems for a while now? I really think the first thing you should do is get some professional mental help. Are you willing to see a psychiatrist?
Probably just stress. First year in Japan I overworked and had a bit of panic attack as well. I had to ask my neighbor to check in with me in the morning to make sure I was okay because I was having a feeling of inevitable “doom” or heart attack. Slept it off eventually got better.
Not sure what you mean by “they know what I do”. What clues did you have that they do.
It seems like you may be going through some kind of mental break. I’m so sorry I don’t have any advice, but other posters do. Wishing you good health.
As a therapist.. go see a psychiatrist hon. Sounds like youre having some paranoid delusions. Hearing people talk about you, feeling like there is a camera watching you with no proof. Really do some grounding to find out if what you saw was true.
If you have found the camera, then go to the police.