Prison in Japan: Part 1 “The Taxi Ride”

Blue on Jan 26 2007 at 12:46 am | Filed under: Japan: Life

85 Responses to “Prison in Japan: Part 1 “The Taxi Ride””

1. on 26 Jan 2007 at 1:11 am 1mikkochan

   George sounds like a typical yankee to me… similar to a buddy who drunk-punched a cabbie in the face and was kept in the pen for 3 months. not guilty? well, dont start bullshit like that. after a few years in japan you should have learned some non-confrontation skills.

2. on 26 Jan 2007 at 1:29 am 2Norbert

   That was an interesting read. I have never thought about prisons in Japan, all seems a bit third world to me.

   Mikkochan - George didn’t say he was not guilty, in fact, he quite clearly says that he did something wrong. I think he just didn’t expect to spend so long in jail for what he did, no?

3. on 26 Jan 2007 at 10:04 am 3Sofa

   You hear horror stories about guys ending up in the slammer for a lot less, and I swear in every case its a result of having far too much to drink. I think nearly 99% of the gaijin here like a drink or two (or 10 or 15) and I’d bet everyone from time to time has had more than they could handle. How people react when they’ve had too much is the telling sign as to whether or not they could avoid situations like the one above. Hope George has moved on from that experience, but also looking forward to hearing about his prison ordeal. Only two smokes a day? That would be hell, not prison!

4. on 26 Jan 2007 at 10:17 am 4Marvin

   My thoughts - yeah, stupid and admitted stupidity but you’d think back home that you’d get locked up for the night and made to come back to court to pay a fine another day.

   I assume this severe “guilty until proven otherwise” thing is a big reason why the Japanese are so non-confrontational and tend to just walk away (unless drunk of course).

   I’ve had a few rides where complete bogan “yankee” taxi drivers were just plain rude and refuse to let me in. At least a few times I have even had to get out and find another taxi as they just just played dumb on where to go even though the directions are really simple and I speak Japanese OK. However the private owner “kojin” cabbies are great - very professional.

5. on 27 Jan 2007 at 2:52 am 5ET

   Regardless of the behaviour of George, how drunk and stupid he might have been in his confrontation, the point here is the complete lack of due process in the Japanese police system.
   Coming from a Western perspective where proper police procedure is considered important in gathering evidence and confessions extracted through isolation and intimidation simply wouldn’t be usable because it wouldn’t be credible this kind of extended lockup without counsel or arrest seems pretty barbaric.
   Despite the surface veneer of some Western principles it’s clear that Japan’s judicial policies are rooted in a different philosophy than “innocent until proven guilty”.
   Something to definitely keep in mind.

6. on 27 Jan 2007 at 8:15 am 6Caio

   Twenty-two days is indeed excessive for a developed nation, but I have a hard time feeling sympathy. I’ve lived in the third world and heard a lot worse, and my family has plenty of horror-stories to tell me about dictatorship-era Brazil. Or I could dig up a couple Czech friends who could tell you about eastern-block justice.

   Good on him, though, for admitting he’d done something wrong, and going back to the station. Not many people would have the courage.

7. on 28 Jan 2007 at 1:25 am 7Freddie Frickin' Flintstone

   “George” is not a yank, he’s obviously a brit. (Hint: references to “bollocks”, “mates”.) You can spot the paranoid racist freako taxi drivers a mile off, and they usually don’t stop for gaijin. However on the offchance that they do, and when you eventually - in whatever state of inebriation you find yourself in - figure out he’s one of them, do yourself a favour by telling him to stop right there, then just pay the fare and get out of the car. He loses out on his juicy fare and you get a chance to clear your head.

8. on 29 Jan 2007 at 5:36 pm 8Gourmet in Washington

   I’d love to see some stats showing what % of people are found guilty after spending those 20 days in the clinger…

9. on 29 Jan 2007 at 9:54 pm 9Marvin

   Fred, I think the reference to “Yankee” has nothing to do with nationality. More to do with a reference to the brown skinned, paroxide haired morons that roam around shitholes like Urayasu, Saitama and Adachi-ku driving cars with tinted windows and wearing playboy sweatpants/sweaters. They are in japan known as “yankees”. Not sure why. Anyone know?

10. on 29 Jan 2007 at 9:56 pm 10Marvin

    No offence intended toward those of you living in Saitama, Urayasu etc… I love those places.

11. on 06 Feb 2007 at 8:39 am 11Italian Guy

    Surely don’t envy that “George”. I kinda started lovin’ less Japan after staying there six months last year!..

12. on 06 Feb 2007 at 10:07 am 12Boing Boing

    Journal of an American in Japanese prison…

    Here’s part 2 of a fascinating first-hand account of being jailed in Japan, by “George,” a 36-year-old American living in Japan with his wife and two young children. George wrote the journal while spending a few weeks in a Japanese Ryuchijyo (”Pris…

13. on 06 Feb 2007 at 12:27 pm 13Kyle Armbruster

    As a real “Yankee” (”George” is very obviously not American or Canadian), I’d like to point out that my Aussie friends are usually the ones in trouble when drunk. Americans are puritanical, by and large, and our guilt about booze kicks in a lot quicker than it does with other English speakers, it seems. Anecdotal evidence, I admit.

    The idea that someone was that unpleasant when drunk tells me he might not be the nicest guy in the world anyway. Why would you insult a cabbie, even if he was an asshole (and some of them, lord knows, are)?

    Regardless, this is important to the gaijin community. In our countries, what will happen if one deals with the police is very cut-and-dry. We know our rights and we know that if the cops don’t respect them, they will be rendered impotent. Here, I’ve always wondered what my rights were. I did know the cops can hold you for a very long time before they even charge you. And I think everyone knows that Japan’s low crime rate has less to do with actual low crime than it does with police corruption and/or ineptitude.

    BTW, if you ever think you need the police, think again. Every time I’ve called them in my years here–to get a drunk abusive stranger out of my girlfriend’s apartment, and to report some yankis vandalizing a lovely little park–I have been the one to fall under suspicion and get the 3rd degree. Unless your life is on the line, don’t bother.

14. on 06 Feb 2007 at 12:31 pm 14milieu

    Gotta say, this guy had it coming to him, and all his rationalizations do not convince me that he’s learned one thing from the experience. He acted like a drunken ass and messed around with the guy’s nav and phone, both of which are the man’s tools to make a living. He then snatches the phone, and ended up knocking the guy down when the taxi driver was trying to get HIS phone back. Then he fights with him some more, and runs off without paying.

    If he’d pulled this crap in the US, he’d be looking at a lot longer than 23 days. I see assault, battery, theft of services, and petty theft in just his side of things.

15. on 06 Feb 2007 at 12:52 pm 15Jason

    They both got what they deserved - the guy got dumped in jail for being a drunken fool and not knowing when to stop and the cab driver had a beating coming to him for deliberately trying to pick a different route than the one requested - all to scam some extra money.

    If this happened in the US, the cab driver would probably have known better than to try and pull a scam like that..

16. on 06 Feb 2007 at 1:25 pm 16Jeff

    Shit happens!

17. on 06 Feb 2007 at 1:30 pm 17lanval

    Milieu,

    There are indeed some places where doing what this guy did might well have ended somewhat more nastily, and not involving any law enforcement officers. When I worked in Japan, my boss (Native Japanese, older, clearly aware of the types of problems that can occur with foreigners who don’t understand/respect the laws of the country they’re in) said to me: “A wise man stays away from trouble” and suggested I avoid the numerous bars near our eikawa. I took his warning to heart and had a safe and pleasant stay in Japan.

    I hope George has, in fact, learned something from this, though like Milieu, I suspect there may be a problem. The out-of-date registration suggests a casual attitude towards obeying rules and strictures, which makes the cab experience, unfortunately a bit more disturbing, insomuch as it suggets a possible pattern of behavior.

    That being said, I will add that George and the others are quite correct in identifying the loose detention practices of the police as generally unacceptable in a modern constitutional state. There are a number of troubling aspects of Japan’s legal system, and this IS one of them.

18. on 06 Feb 2007 at 3:00 pm 18lolosaka

    Dear Lanval,

    I would assume having a wife and 2 kids (better than the average Eikaiwa baka gaijin) in Japan would not “suggest a casual attitude”, rather than the out-of-date registration crap you are trying to pull…
    I have been here in Japan for ten years and still forgot to renew it once 6 years ago. That is the number one offense that foreigners are guilty of in Japan, and this statistic helps maintain the myth that foreigners = offenders.

19. on 06 Feb 2007 at 3:17 pm 19AsiaPundit » Blog Archive » links for 2007-02-06

    [...] Ryuchijyo (”Prison for people that haven’t yet been convicted of any crime”). In part one, George explained what he did to land in prison (basically, he behaved like a drunk, violent jerk [...]

20. on 06 Feb 2007 at 5:57 pm 20Herro Flom Japan » Blog Archive » Moral of the story: Don’t be an asshole in Japan

    [...] do not want to get arrested in Japan like this guy did. You don’t even have to be guilty to go to jail here. In Japan, it’s often said that [...]

21. on 07 Feb 2007 at 2:01 am 21henry

    I’ve had a couple of experiences with asshole Japanese cab drivers.

    I was taking a taxi from the train station to a restaurant, very simple to get to, like this fellow, I told this guy to go straight, it was just down the road. He proceeded to go right by the place. I told him (in Japanese) to stop, right here, there it is, the guy kept driving like he didn’t hear me or understand me. Complete asshole.

22. on 07 Feb 2007 at 9:09 am 22CNT

    Should have been deported, period. What he did is so unusual in Japan (screaming baka yaro at the taxi driver?), it’s almost unthinkable. Sure, the judicial system is totally weighted against the defendant. But I think your friend got off extremely lightly, in no small part because he turned himself in. I lived in Japan for ten years. In that time, I saw people scuffle in public three times. Raising your voice is bad enough. But fiddling with the GPS? Snatching the cell phone and refusing to give it back? Then snatching it again when he tried to call the police? And then (inadvertently) drawing blood? It’s good that he turned himself in, because the police would have contacted the other cab, contacted his friend, and then the shit would hit the fan. He probably would have been deported.

    This isn’t the US of A. The culture is less tolerent of violence and roughhousing.

23. on 07 Feb 2007 at 10:17 am 23Kyle Armbruster

    The fellow seems to trying to say “Look out! It could happen to YOU!!!”

    But…

    It most certainly could not. Under no circumstances would I treat someone in a service position as he did the cabbie. Who the hell does he think he is?

    The judicial system here IS completely unfair. That much is true.

    But yeah, if you don’t want to get involved with them, a good start would be to avoid committing assault and theft.

    If that had been the US (for sure, but probably in other English-speaking countries), coming down to the police department with an envelope full of cash would have been even worse.

    What the hell is wrong with this guy?

24. on 07 Feb 2007 at 10:42 am 24Blue

    I dont usually join in on discussions (to busy writing more articles!), but in this case, for all the people who are just saying “he was stupid”, “what a jerk”, “he deserves it” etc etc, then you need to rethink of the context of this article. I think George realises pretty well that he did something wrong, and has a pretty good idea that what he did was being a “jerk”, but he certainly isn’t telling us about what he went through just to confirm that he did something that was stupid. Yes, he did something stupid, but he is not a “jerk”. Anyone who has never done anything stupid in their whole life, feel free to continue your slander, but otherwise I feel that using George’s mistake to prevent the same mistake in your life, or at least your close friends lives would be more constructive. Its rare that we get such a good learning experience at someone else’s expense, so make the most of it.

25. on 07 Feb 2007 at 3:05 pm 25Tut

    Well,theres one more country you won’t find me visiting

26. on 07 Feb 2007 at 6:59 pm 26takahaya

    This guy’s recollection of events is doubtful.

    He writes,
    “Eventually, I just walked (maybe ran?) away from the scene”, then later says,
    “…. the situation was sobering, and I clearly remember everything that happened”.

    Did you walk or run? I reckon you ran. Probably after smacking the taxi-driver in the head.

27. on 07 Feb 2007 at 11:20 pm 27Steve Nash

    Whether or not the legal system is fair or unfair is completely irrelevant: When in Rome… Going right along with CNT above, this guy is totally lucky. He just completely lost it, kind of like Kramer from Seinfeld, and is just like all of you who think you are “entitled” to something in this country. You are not. If you live in Japan or plan on living in Japan, please understand this QUICKLY. It is not your “right” to live here (you need to forget that bleeding-heart Western way of thinking) and you should assimilate into the culture, as in learning the Japanese language and way of behaving. You don’t have to like the way things are here but you do need to accept them and play along. I hear China is more forgiving, if you don’t like it, or you can always try North Korea… It’s like riding a motorcycle: always look wear you want to go and yield to everything. Please, like the trade-off isn’t worth it. You get a job where you TALK and get paid exponentially higher than people in SKILLED positions AND you get props with the ladies. Oh, and taxi drivers pull the same stunts with Japanese people as well so get off your “discrimination” horse, stop bitching, and stay out of trouble. Unless, of course, you want to verify prison life for yourself.

28. on 08 Feb 2007 at 9:18 am 28Shifting Mind » Links for Feb 6th through Feb 7th

    [...] Prison in Japan is the first part of the story of “George” who was held in a Japanese prison for criminals who have not been convicted yet. So far only two parts are available, but it’s already an interesting read. tagged: apple, books, links, videogames and videos Posted on February 7th, 2007 at 6:18 PM by neop Comments RSS [...]

29. on 09 Feb 2007 at 11:49 am 29butt?

    good story, but being a “Yankee” myself I do take offense to the comments that he sounds like a typical “Yankee.” Especially when he uses the words “mates” and “bollocks” and also spells apologize “apologise.” Anyway, shitty situation but people over here can get carried away if you are not from here and it’s hard to say what anyone would do if you were in this dude’s shoes. I’m sure everyone, including the author, agrees that there was probably a better course of action to take, but then we wouldn’t have this sweet story!

30. on 09 Feb 2007 at 12:43 pm 30JohnB

    Butt: It seems that, as was mentioned above several times, he wasnt using this word Yankee to mean American. It was only used to describe and American by others in the comments.

    Yankee (ヤンキー） in Japanese means a delinquent juvenile (like bosozoku) or anyone who acts or dresses like one - and in the story, is not at all referring to Americans.

31. on 14 Feb 2007 at 4:24 pm 31Ozintokyo

    Hey, for all the people that think George was such a jerk, and therefore this is entirely not relevant to you and could not happen to you, think again!

    Let’s change the details of the story, just a little. Fact is, the taxi driver was a jerk, he deliberately ignored instructions of where to go. Now assume that you know that the fair should have been 900yen, but because of the idiot taxi driver, by the time you get to where you want to go, it is 1,200yen, are you happy to pay it? Assume you are not, and you want to give him just 900yen, refusing to pay the extra as it is unjust.

    You hand over 1,000 as more than enough, telling him that is more than enough, and you walk away. He chases you demanding the extra 200yen, he trips, and hits his head on a curb, you keep walking.

    Is this scenario, or any such one more acceptable to your mind?

    OK, so, following what you consider to be a minor rip-off averted, you go home and forget about it. Idiot taxi driver however, he calls the police, and tells them that you physically attacked him and refused to pay the fair. You will face the same result as George.

    It is a dangerous system. Bottom line is, anyone can give the cops a story of how you did something illegal, with a plausible scenario, and you could find yourself in a prison for a few weeks while you defend your innocence.

32. on 14 Feb 2007 at 4:33 pm 32CNT

    I totally disagree, Ozintokyo. Although I’m not saying taxi drivers are paragons of virtue, the scenario you describe just wouldn’t happen in Japan. First of all, there’s the entire Japanese work ethic. I remember taking a taxi to Kimi Ryokan in Ikebukero, and the taxi driver could not figure out where it was. So what did he do? He drove around until he found it, and then led me by the hand to the reception desk. This is Japan. People do not rip you off. Unless you play pachinko.

    Second, when choosing between the reliability of a punch-permed taxi driver and a drunk, obnoxious foreigner, I’ll take the taxi driver’s story any day. People do not do confrontation in Japan. Getting angry only makes things worse. The taxi driver was probably getting flustered. And believe it or not, Japanese people sometimes cannot understand what the fcuk non-native Japanese people are saying (especially if they’re drunk and shouting). My wife sometimes can’t figure out what I’m trying to say.

    And George did assault the taxi driver. He’s lucky he only got three weeks.

    Unless we’re talking about the police or the mafia (two sides of the same coin), Japanese people do not get into confrontations. People are honest. They do their jobs. But throw in a random variable (drunken, shouting foreigner) and they will blow a circuit. Try it at Family Mart sometime and you’ll see what I mean.

33. on 15 Feb 2007 at 10:19 pm 33ted

    CNT which Japan where/are you in?Sure these kinds of rip offs don`t happen as often in Japan but to say they just don`t happen and the Japanese don`t lie is a bit of a fantasy.
    You had a good experience and judge the whole race and nation on that but if someone were to judge them on a bad experience would you deny that persons opinion?
    I could tell you a story about a taxi driver who blatantly lied and ripped me off quite a lot of dough.Not in the course of his work but he did it all the same.It can and does happen here.

34. on 16 Feb 2007 at 12:45 am 34fuckedgaijin

    CNT, you must have been living somewhere between Maihama Station and Tokyo bay mate. Japanese people do quarrel, and the fact that they don’t do it on a daily basis, makes them dangerous when they actually do loose a screw and flip out in anger.

    I have seen people “disagree” on rush hour trains, and they have each other by the scruff of each others necks, with faces so red that it looks like they have had a beer or two. They use filthy Japanese to each other, and you can hear the hatred in their voice. They are people, and loose it too, just like our friend George did. But, if it suits you, keep living in your Disneyland!

35. on 16 Feb 2007 at 1:55 am 35CNT

    I probably did live in Disneyland…I lived in rural Japan during most of my ten years, about two hours by train from Osaka. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

    But I did. During my stay in Japan I lived in Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama, Ibaraki and Shizuoka. I also worked out of Shibuya, and spent quite a bit of time on business in Yokohama, Kyoto and Nagoya. So I would say I know what I’m talking about. I’m wondering if fuckedgaijin has ever ventured outside of the Yamanote Line. The sell booze in outlying places, so you’ll be at home. The girls are just as pretty, although I doubt you’ll have more luck than you do already.

    I think there is one big question here: did the taxi driver attempt to rip off George? And the answer is “no”. He was stressed out and probably couldn’t understand what George was saying. And George did do some things (stealing the cell phone, tackling the guy, running away) that are just not kosher in Japan and could have landed him in serious trouble.

    I base my opinions on the general honesty of regular Japanese folks on the the fact that whenever I lost my wallet on the train or whereever, it was always returned with money intact.

    That said, a burglar broke into our house one night and stole about 100,000 yen in cash. All sorts of traveling “salesmen” came to our house hoping we’d buy outpriced futons and agree to shady “home improvements.” A realtor ripped is off big time. So we’ve seen our fair share of dishonesty.

    I think the real problems in Japan are caused by negligence, stupidity, and people refusing to admit to their mistakes and then covering up what went wrong.

    I’ve said that the police went *lightly* on George because he returned to admit what he’d done.

36. on 02 Mar 2007 at 9:09 am 36gullevek

    Thats not a bad day, or mishap. Thats stupidity. If you reach around, punch people, take peoples possessions and then think you will be all clear. Sorry, that just plain stupid. Just because you are a foreigner, doesn’t mean you can do everything you want.

37. on 11 Mar 2007 at 4:20 pm 37cbcooler1

    Yea, just stupid. In Japan, if the cab driver dosen’t turn the Navi on, you don’t have to pay…..If he does realise it, he can’t make you pay the full fare! This was just an idiotic move on his part. I’ve only had great experiences with cabbies, returning my cell phone, business card holder, etc, everytime….. Cheers

38. on 11 Mar 2007 at 7:52 pm 38GEORGE

    The wife is out with friends, at home with my boys on a Sunday eve. Asleep now so thought I’d check out Stippy….

    For the record, I never hit the taxi driver at all. If I did I would have been in a world of shit and wonder if I actually would have gone to the cops to pay amends. I won’t comment here as I think there are a few more parts of my journal to be printed and they may be interesting for some, but this whole thing is just a great big embarrassment.

    Some great comments though. I do agree with the point that it is easy for Gaijin to live in a “fairyland” Japan. If you really trully get to know some locals from various walks of life, you do see a very different picture. In fact you see it on the local news and in people living in the same building or neighbourhood. Gaijin aren’t the only ones who have a hard time. But that is true across the globe huh?

    The question begs though doesn’t it? Is it better, if in the above situation, to actually go to the cops or just hide? I have a family so my choice was simple. Though I did ask the cops that “what if” question that stared me in the face from the first moment I met Bad Cop and realized just what was going on. I asked the young translator cop after a few days of getting to know each other. I got an answer that made me laugh.

39. on 23 Mar 2007 at 4:09 am 39Living Lonely » Journal of an American in Japanese prison (parts 3-5)

    [...] Ryuchijyo (”Prison for people that haven’t yet been convicted of any crime”). In Part 1, George explained what he did to land in prison (basically, he behaved like a drunk, violent jerk [...]

40. on 24 Mar 2007 at 10:39 am 40cornhusk

    “This isn’t the US of A. The culture is less tolerent of violence and roughhousing.”

    Are speaking of Japan here? Never have I witnessed a culture so steeped in sadism as Japan. There is a very, intensely disturbing undercurrent of violence in the Japanese national character and it gets on my nerves when oblivious hipsters think of this as a more fashionable version of Oz (CNT, I´m not suggesting you are a oblivious hipster or anyone on this comment thread for that matter).
    The Japanese were Diet-Nazis during WWII, and it seems the whole western world has decided to collectively erase their atrocities from memory while continually chastising Germany for the same tendencies. Japan did some unspeakable things back then and if they knew they could get away with it, they would do all over again.

    There, that´s enough xenophobia for now, not that I feel the least bit guilty about it - Tokyo is the xenophobe capital of the world.

41. on 25 Mar 2007 at 6:08 pm 41Kuri

    cornhusk, your post is off topic.

    Ozintokyo made a good point in post 31. Regardless of whether this hypothetical situation would really happen or not, the point is that you can be held for an unreasonably long time in Japan without a fair trial.

    In this case, George admits to his guilt (so let’s please stop calling him jerk, asshole etc) but in Ozintokyo’s hypothetical case - you are innocent but are accused of a crime - you could be locked up for weeks the same way while they try to force a confession out of you.

42. on 26 Mar 2007 at 9:22 am 42kebab

    i think george should have got longer.arrogant drunken twerp

43. on 29 Mar 2007 at 5:20 pm 43Tom

    Marvin
    You mentioned Yankees as a social group in Japan. The fashion of emulating 50’s American culture arrived from Brazil, where the group are known as Yanquis. The Portuguese spelling is helpful to distinguish the use of the word. Check out Yoyogi Park at the weekend, where you might catch Yanquis jiving to rock and roll hits and comparing quiffs.

44. on 30 Mar 2007 at 1:05 pm 44marie p

    Hey ‘Cornhusk’…..how red is your neck??

    Just a little reminder (even if it is off topic) remember Vietnam…geez I wonder how many woman and children were murdered by the good US of A….and….was it not again the good US of A who used the Atomic bomb on civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki?? Gee Weez ….where is your cornhusk pointing now!!!!

45. on 31 Mar 2007 at 3:24 pm 45Phillip

    This is exactly why gaijin have such a bad reputation in Japan. I can’t believe that you actually were amused by the whole situation. Your drinking and poor emotional control hurt an innocent person. If I had been the police or the judge I would have locked you away a lot longer. That means that if I get into his cab or one of his associates cabs, I will be watched very closely. He will view me the same as he views you. Thanks for being a complete moron in a foreign country.

46. on 02 Apr 2007 at 8:55 am 46Marvin

    I’m personally finding this whole story interesting. But, Philip, I think the point is that you don’t have to be a gaijin to get in trouble in Japan and the guy did go to the cops himself, so it is not like he thought it was hilarious and walked away. If you are too scared to get in a taxi after reading this story, I know a good bike shop. Remember, they are watching you…..

47. on 03 Apr 2007 at 6:52 pm 47uncle Al

    Japanese Jail is very easy,be smart ,do nothing and sit and wait for the cops.Then say you would like to go to court to clear up any disagreement,they will always let you go,no one likes paper work.Always remind the police they are not the law just enforcers.Judges make the penalties.Be smart go to court,it takes time.

    Uncle Al

48. on 20 Apr 2007 at 4:35 pm 48hanemasu

    >Always remind the police they are not the law just enforcers

    Oh yeah, I’ll be sure to do that!

49. on 22 Apr 2007 at 6:54 pm 49Robert

    I got completely wasted in Osaka smashed a restaurant window unprovoked, urinated on a business man and fell asleep on a sidewalk.Only spent one night in jail and didn’t even have to pay for the damages that I caused.
    I now after reading this article consider myself very lucky.

50. on 27 Apr 2007 at 9:45 am 50kirsten

    Hmmmmm, Japan! What a curious nation… Late at night I get this phone call from a young American in Japan…he tells me he has just been released from prison in Japan and had an adjacent cell to my partner……( he’s Moroccan we met in Osaka, fell in love had a baby..saga continues) anyway I wasnt aware that my guy was in trouble so imagine my surprise, confusion, anger and horror! He says he doesnt know why hes in jail and as communication is very difficult(prisoners at this facilities are not allowed to speak English to eachother) my guy asked him to contact me and gave him my number…. we talked about what had happened to him -custody issue with his Japanese wife!..my stupid mistake forgot to ask to ask him the name of the jail or prison… That was two and half years ago we have had no contact from him his mother in Morocco is hysterical. I have asked Moroccan, Australian, Japanese embassies to just help me locate him…… no-one will help! Moroccan embassy says if my partner hasn’t contacted them then they won’t do anything! Great! So there is this guy somewhere, has a history of self-harm, in a jail…. maybe or is he dead? I have no legal rights according to Japan because we are not married so they wont tell me any information about him… I thought please just give me all names of prisons and jails and I will write to them all hoping to find out where he is…
    I lived and worked in Japan for three years and was pregnant in Japan.. Everyone at home would say OH i love japan its so beautiful but there is nothing beautiful about abuse in any country.. Yes, whoever said Japanese people hate confrontation… such a peace loving nation.. thats hard to stomach really.. as I recall the time being 7months pregnant and fainting on the very busy senri-chuo line after work… sooooo many women so many men… and no-one helped me or offered their seat after I picked myself off the floor…Dirty Gaijin, must be drunk hey!! So becareful in Japan dont ever forget you are a visitor and take care of yourself, its ok to smile and nod to their faces(swearing in your mind) if it gets you what you need, thats what they are doing to you! Does anyone help me find where he is!

51. on 27 Apr 2007 at 9:51 am 51kirsten

    Oh the custody issue was with the American guy not with my guy.

52. on 01 May 2007 at 12:18 am 52mabewa

    I think that George has a legitimate point about the Japanese prison system. However, it’s also fairly obvious that he screwed up pretty badly, and might have been in a lot more trouble in many countries in the world. Before I read the story, I thought that the incident might have been a lot more innocent, but I can see why he landed up in jail… it’s just that people shouldn’t be held in jail without being charged or and without being allowed to contact anyone.

    I’ve lived in Japan for 4 years, and I’ve been treated pretty well by both police and taxi drivers. I don’t have a fairyland image of Japan, but the fact is that many Japanese people can be pretty darn trustworthy. Just to give you one of many examples, I did something pretty stupid the other day: withdrew some money from an ATM, and I was paying so much attention to the balance in my bankbook that I forgot to actually take the money that I had withdrawn. I was halfway up an elevator, and this young women RUNS up the elevator, yelling “sumimasen! sumimasen!,” holding my money. She wasn’t a store clerk or anything, just a good person.

    Unfortunately, nationalism and racism are rising in Japan, but I still find it pretty funny that white, English-speaking foreigners imagine themselves to be the victims of great discrimination. I mean, you go to a country, get a fairly well-paid job that you have absolutely no qualifications for, get laid far more often than you did at home, are seen as a model minority with no effort whatsover, and you’re being discriminated against? Come on. I’d be much more interested in hearing about discrimination from a Korean, a Chinese, a Brazilian, and African… but funnily enough, some people seem to miss colonialism, and feel oppressed when the natives fail to grovel. These comments aren’t directed at “George,” but rather at the hordes of professional gaijin whiners out there.

53. on 01 May 2007 at 12:30 am 53mabewa

    Oh yeah… One more thing: I always love how Western people in Japan always say “If you ever get stopped by the police, never let them know that you can speak Japanese.” Funnily enough, people said the same thing to me about speaking Chinese when I lived in Taiwan. Anyway, just imagine if we heard that resident foreigners in our countries were pretending not to be able to speak English to the police. A lot of people would just go apeshit. I mean, two of my family members have married Mexicans in the US, and it’s just unbelievable the crap that Mexicans go through in the US–Westerners living in Japan have it FAR better. Sometimes, I think that the real attitude is “It’s OK for us to be racist, but no-one better DARE be racist to us–we’re the rulers of the earth.” If a Mexican had done what George did in the US, a lot of Americans would be calling for the electric chair. If you don’t believe this, then you are the sheltered ones. By the same token, I would be willing to bet that George actually got off a lot easier because of his nationality and skin color. If he had been Korean (even zai-Nichi Korean who had been born and raised in Japan), things would have been far worse.

54. on 01 May 2007 at 12:40 am 54Jonny

    Mabewa:
    >> If a Mexican had done what George did in the US,
    >> a lot of Americans would be calling for the electric chair.

    You said perfectly what is wrong with your country, I couldn’t have put it better.

    Comparisons with the US are a little futile here. I think George is trying to compare with bona fide first world countries, where governments and citizens actually respect human rights with dignity and compassion. Actually, comparing other first world countries with the US these days seems to be like comparing fingers with toes - they both serve basic bodily touch functions, but one is more refined in its ways, and one stinks.

55. on 08 May 2007 at 1:35 pm 55oldSushi Blurb

    Life in a Japanese Prison (continued)…

    In a previous oldSushi Blurb I mentioned the ordeal of one Westerner who got himself in to some trouble (he threw a taxi driver on the ground then stole his phone… then went and told the Police……

56. on 09 May 2007 at 2:25 pm 56Prisons In Japan at murisfurder

    [...] Here’s a nice read about the japanese prison system Prison in Japan: Part 1 “The Taxi Ride” [...]

57. on 15 May 2007 at 12:24 am 57Prison in Japan: Part 8 “Day 15″ | Japan: Stippy

    [...] is stippy’s eighth part in a ten part series (see also parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7) about one foreigner’s experience of being put in a Japanese prison [...]

58. on 16 May 2007 at 8:40 am 58FatsLeroy.com : Part 1 “The Taxi Ride”

    [...] Stippy ] Posted by admin on Tuesday, May 15, 2007, at 3:40 pm, and filed under Links. Follow any [...]

59. on 17 May 2007 at 12:07 am 59CHP ICST Japan 2007 » Things to not do in Japan

    [...] hope we don’t have anything like this on the trip: http://www.stippy.com/japan-life/gaijin-in-a-japanese-prison-1/ The lesson, here, is I believe more general than “don’t punch your taxi [...]

60. on 20 May 2007 at 6:36 pm 60RB

    For all the folks who think yankee doesn’t mean American, I think you are mistaken. Twenty years ago, it most decidedly meant American and only American, and it wasn’t really an insult. At that time, there were not all these other nationalities running around causing problems or at least not very many of them. If there were problems from a foreigner, it was probably from an American. Later, Russians and Arabs and others became much more prevalent in Japan. Their frequent crimes were usually blamed on Americans because the Japanese could not tell the difference simply by looking at them, and the reputation of Americans suffered unfairly. I observed this unfortunate slide myself. If yankee has come to mean punk or troublemaker today, it has become an insult to Americans, and that’s a disappointment.

    Of course, that’s the circle history takes. The word was originally given to Americans by the Brits during the American Revolution as an insult. The Americans liked it, and they kept it. I think they should take it back. “Yankee doodle keep it up, Yankee doodle dandy…”

61. on 21 May 2007 at 5:06 pm 61Mick

    RB - I think you are mistaken. Sure 20 years ago (and even more recently) all foreigners were labelled Americans. But that has nothing to do with the Japanese “yankees” that people are talking about above. See ヤンキー (不良少年) in Wikipedia. Mind you I don’t think the taxi driver is a yankee, he was too old for starters.

62. on 25 May 2007 at 2:09 pm 62Prison Break » Jay digressions brain outsourcing

    [...] you want more realistic prison stories have a look at those nices entries on “Gaijin in a japanese prison” of Stippy’s [...]

63. on 30 May 2007 at 9:16 pm 63Honey

    Thanks for your story!
    I’ve never thought japanese laws were so severe .
    Actually, I have a friend that is in the same situation and I want to help him somehow but I have no idea what I can do, though.
    Can you tell me if there’s anything I can do? Can a friend visit an inmate?
    Thanks again!

64. on 24 Jun 2007 at 6:21 pm 64Beeter not say

    This stupid f*cking gaijin kid should have gone to prison. For 10 cents can anyone tell me what he did wrong to insult the driver? this site is a joke. it is so obvious.i feel no simpathy for this wanker how he writes about it, what f*ckin’g liar he is. he deserved it for his actions.

    it always surprises me how many stupid foreigner get into japan. it must be the japanese feel sorry for them, or thier family is rich. stupid fucking idiot. just wants to touch the cute japanese girls and gfet drunk. real great life. what nonsense this story is. grow up man.

65. on 12 Jul 2007 at 8:29 am 65Mike

    I stayed in Japan for an entire year and never ever had a problem like this. You know why? Because I wasn’t a freaking idiot. Why do people say “I was drunk” as if it is an excuse for their behavior?.. Seriously, if you are a dumbass when you drink, then don’t drink. Simple as that. All this guy had to do was say “Tomate kudasai” (stop please) and get out of the freaking taxi. Clearly he is not an intelligent person. “I know what I did was bad..” Well you paid for it Buddy. Now grow up and don’t be a gaijin idiot so that Japanese people don’t hate us. Sound good?.. Of course it does.

66. on 12 Jul 2007 at 2:12 pm 66Jeff Beck

    In my experience, being drunk is actually a pretty acceptable excuse in Japan. Of course back home, you must not succumb to the alcohol and do things you wouldnt do sober. And you have to take responsibility as if you were sober. However the fact is that alcohol, by its very nature, changes our perceptions and how we act. So why is this not a good excuse? I bet George never got into a scrap with a taxi driver sober. Yup, alcohol it was.

67. on 14 Jul 2007 at 9:03 pm 67Chris

    The moral of the story is not to go to the police station and to keep you Gaijin card up to date!!

68. on 16 Jul 2007 at 1:48 pm 68hyptyo blog » His other ball and chain...

    [...] of y’all kept up with Stippy.com’s story of “George,” a gaijin who spent a couple weeks in a Tokyo holding cell, but he’s at it again, with a straightforward expose on his marriage strife. The comments are [...]

69. on 18 Jul 2007 at 1:59 pm 69World's Worst Taxi Rides | NEWS.com.au

    [...] Behave yourself. For a true taxi horror story, read the adventures of “George”, an American living in Japan whose late night taxi ride went terribly wrong. [...]

70. on 15 Aug 2007 at 8:39 pm 70The dude

    Dude deserved everything he got. Dickhead prick. He initiated the rage by being confrontational with the taxi driver, so f*ck him. I bet his side of the story is half-bullshit anyway.

71. on 19 Aug 2007 at 12:41 pm 71tax-man

    I had an experience which almost ended like your episode last Friday night. I was at a stag’s night in Roppongi. The to-be groom passed out shortly after the 3500yen cocktail-only nomi-whore-die, at around 10pm. He was dragged to the next bar, only to revive after an hour or so (with the help of some hot strippers), and was still going when I left.. good on him heh.

    The funniest incident of the night for me was after hoping in a taxi right in the middle of Roppers. One of the other guys who was there also, who had also been passed out, came to in the back of the taxi and made a loud and deep spewing sound (dry wretch). The taxi driver in the front swore and panicked, jumped out of the car, dashed around and tried to open the door and pull him out. In the meantime, he had neglected to stop the car, and it cruised forward smashing into the next car in front. Which happened to be a police car We bolted of course. I hope that makes your day a little brighter George.

72. on 31 Aug 2007 at 9:33 am 72Once More, With Feeling… « 100 Tips & Tricks to Master Japanese

    [...] if someday, someone can better get a job in Japan or survive in a Japanese prison for reading the advice I hope to record here, then my job will be [...]

73. on 25 Nov 2007 at 8:50 am 73Julius

    Jesus, what’s with all the sanctimonious cunts here? Guy goes and says “I’m an idiot and did something stupid, but there’s something wrong with the legal system here” and all you arrogant pricks go “whoa, he’s an idiot, aren’t I clever for figuring that out, and he deserved much worse, because *I* would never make such a mistake!”

    For fuck’s sake, we’re all human, we make mistakes. Maybe one shouldn’t drink so much, but shit happens, and the POINT here as I see it is that “innocent until proven guilty” is kinda a neat idea, and maybe to warn people that it doesn’t necessarily apply even in some developed countries.

74. on 26 Nov 2007 at 1:34 pm 74fuckedgaijin

    Julius, well said. I don’t think that George needs judging by anyone, and I bet he is not commenting here because of all the fruitcakes that did so.

    However, your language does need a bit of censoring.. no need to use those sort of words here, it only turns people off commenting on what you said. Can anyone edit those out?

75. on 26 Nov 2007 at 1:40 pm 75moojune

    > “However, your language does need a bit of censoring..”

    Nicely said, fuckedgaijin!

76. on 17 Dec 2007 at 1:49 pm 76Eric

    sorry man, you were drunk and you messed up. sucks you spent so much time in jail, but it’s Japan, you gotta keep your cool over there. you should have just stayed at home dude. I have no idea why you went the police though, that was a less wiser decision than getting into this whole mess in the first place…hope you learned your lesson

77. on 12 Feb 2008 at 1:00 am 77Bill the Lawyer in Japan

    Wow..what a nightmare..sure were stupid and out of order..but almost 2 weeks in prison due to an ungrateful J cabbie..typical J cabbie jealous response going over the top..here you are always guilty regardless if a gaijin..hate to say it ..it is still in the government sense and in the typical J sense the most racial country in the world…Had this happened with a J..a low bow on the knees with the head touching the ground to the cops and later to the cabbie..and the J would have being released within 1 hours with just a fine..the rule to remember here is always expect the worst with J cops or government people..always bite your tongue..use the art of war..these J guys do not like foriegners here for many reasons including the obvious such as sexual jealously to fact we are often making more than them..that noted..my best to open minded decent J`s whom think outta the box and live for more than the regimented socirty that exists in most situations here…

78. on 20 Feb 2008 at 10:22 am 78J-Rocker

    Just stay out of Japan you stupid gaijins! Japan doesn’t want stupid drunks like you polluting their streets.

79. on 20 Feb 2008 at 5:03 pm 79Bill the Lawyer

    1st—-J-Rocker..what is the meaning of that response???

    let me guess …does that really mean you think its cool to listen to rock music while wearing a “gaijin” size jockstrap that is flat where the supportis..work that one out if you are smart enough too you fool!

    If it was`nt for Gaijins Japan would`nt even have people calling themselves “J-Rocker”..since rock and roll was invented in the west.. as were all and everyone of the instruments of rock and roll….not Japan!

    Finally Racial slurrs are a sign of lack of intelligence and further more “brain dead racial fools of any race” are not welcome on this site, so why don`t you go back to “banging your head to J-Rock” in rather than “polluting” this site that is created, ran and operated by “gaijin” as well as decent open minded Japanese whom “unlike” you are intelligent and not small minded and to boot….. don`t try to be cool like gaijins by calling themselves idiotic names like “J-Rocker”….

    I rest my case! By the way my best to all decent “Gaijin and Japanese” on this site whom unlike J-Rocker think and act with intregity and honor!

80. on 24 Apr 2008 at 9:08 am 80Tokyo Detention Center « Quirky Japan Photos

    [...] my home in Katsushika-ku. The building always reminds me of the Immigration Bureau in Shinagawa. Click here to read an interesting account of a foreigner’s experience here, or visit this National [...]

81. on 24 May 2008 at 1:45 am 81matt

    At least he didn’t get fucked in the arse, which is what would have happened in Turkey…

82. on 03 Jun 2008 at 6:34 pm 82welcome in japanese

    [...] to prison, you’ve not been charged with anything yet, but we can hold you for a month. Ohhttp://www.stippy.com/japan-life/gaijin-in-a-japanese-prison-1/Welcome to Japanese :: Readers Etc :: Japanese Bookstore …This concise and brilliant book offers [...]

83. on 21 Jun 2008 at 4:11 am 83I am leaving Japan - Page 3 - SLUniverse Forums

    [...] jail. It can be a hell of waiting for no good reason for gajin, even ones that speak the language. Prison in Japan: Part 1 “The Taxi Ride” | Japan: Stippy He’s in bars because thats what you do. Over there they take a very different approach to stuff [...]

84. on 28 Jun 2008 at 6:45 pm 84hmm

    I enjoyed this because this guy was an idiot for doing what he did. As an African American if anyone one of us had done this in America we would be fighting for our life because more than likely we would be thrown in jail for 10 yrs. And that’s a conservative sentence right there. White Americans, and white english speakers in general need to lose their arrogance, and perception of self-entitlement. Because trust me you guys show no mercy towards hating people with darker skin. I am really excited to see white americans bitch and moan about racism in Japan. When all I can tell them is that the US is worse, and then I just point to the issue of hurricane katrina, and its aftermath. Pretty much if you are in another country, visiting, working, living there you respect their LAWS!!! My god I use to live in Turkey for half a year as a student, and it was against the law to insult Ataturk, and I found that out after I left Turkey. You know what. While I was there I never once thought to disrespect anything in Turkey. Because they were nice to me, and I was a guest and a visitor in their country. Though I can comment on how rude Japanese tourist are in Turkey and how they referred to my friend’s grandma as a gaijin in her own damn country. WEll we aren’t japanese tourist. Lets not be assholes in other people’s countries, and this guy clearly would’ve gotten his ass fried in America no matter what race he was. So he was very very lucky. Also as far as I am concerned in America if you are black then there is no fair trial, and you must settle for a plea agreement. So it’s quite similar to Japan. This will not stop me from going to japan as I do not plan on violating the law by doing stupid shit like this. Other than that too many beers will happen. So when that happens and you should really really just be more careful the next time around. In the US well in Texas you have cops going into bars, and arresting people and giving them DUI’s before they even think about walking out of that bar. So I’ve seen unfair shit in the US. I’ve dealt with less shit outside of America, but that is because I have street smarts, and I do not view myself as entitled to stay in another person’s country. Because trust me they give you a visa for a reason, and they want you to follow their laws. Which makes it a privilege to be there not a right.

85. on 03 Jul 2008 at 5:07 pm 8540 Year Old Virgin

    Well George, in the U.S. the uppity taxi driver might well have been packing. When your reached into the front seat, he’d have warned you, perhaps. If you took his phone, he might have drawn on you and if you continued, he might have put a cap in your sorry ass.

    Whatever legitimate beef you have with the judicial and correction systems, you got off real easy.

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