Comments on: A lesson in crime

By: Troy

Troy — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:00:42 +0000

Lacks orthographical faults
Not found here lest one counts breaks
Of which I do not.

By: so if i start selling drugs i can drive an escalade, too?

so if i start selling drugs i can drive an escalade, too? — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:33:33 +0000

[...] related: tokyo police club [...]

By: Stanley Pringle

Stanley Pringle — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:23:17 +0000

Believing Tokyo cops are on the take, thereby turning a blind eye to a loosely-affiliated group of 4chan users-turned-highwaymen run by some neo-Bill Sikes == paranoid

Believing that Tokyo cops are slackers != paranoid

By: Olivia

Olivia — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:27:47 +0000

Ha ha. I wonder what the good ol’ men in uniform thought after reading that.

By: Troy McClure

Troy McClure — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:36:54 +0000

Local cops are just
Though sadly unvigilant.
Whither my wallet?

By: Wade

Wade — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:34:16 +0000

Police rolling Pat
Slacking as crime skyrockets
And thieves multiply

By: mamason

mamason — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:02:20 +0000

Where’s the haiku when we need one?

By: Suhayla

Suhayla — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:52:47 +0000

Would that be what they refer to as a mexican standoff?

By: secondsout

secondsout — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:38:39 +0000

Even worse, can you imagine being in a crowd, and suddenly, they all turn around and every one of them turns to be a thief. Quite a scary scenario that one.

By: Kittycat

Kittycat — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:39:37 +0000

“Everyone around you could turn out to be a thief . . .” Does that mean when they grow up they’ll turn out to be a thief? Is that a dream held by Japanese youth?

By: Heidi

Heidi — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:38:21 +0000

By: Freelance Guru

Freelance Guru — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:51:02 +0000

Wow. now i totally feel safe. I like the idea of a just slacker.

By: unholyghost2003

unholyghost2003 — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:15:25 +0000

For me the best bit is that the crime rate in English speaking counties (esp. in major metropolitan areas) is vastly higher than Tokyo. So while it could be supposed that an English language sign is aimed at people from English speaking countries, I think most native English speakers in a major metropolitan area would be pleasantly surprised by the realization that if they ARE unfortunate enough to be victims of street crime it is just their wallet being discretely lifted from their pocket without the application of sharp knives or waving guns.

I suppose my point is, the Yakuza not withstanding, even crime is more polite there yet the Japanese are so appalled by what is considered a matter of course in the English speaking West, they feel the need to post signs stating what is obvious to westerners: i.e. when wandering in a densely packed metropolitan area, keep an eye on your wallet.

By: dan

dan — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:07:22 +0000

this is actually an old trick by pickpockets. they put up a sign saying “watch your wallets” and then sit near the sign. they casually watch people walk by and upon seeing the sign, reach for their wallets to make sure the wallets are still safe, at the same time showing the pickpocket watching exactly where they keep their wallets in the first place, so they can easily rob them later. also, tourists are the best, which is clearly the target of this little caper. not to assume the store knows about it, the thief probably asked to put the sign up…