Gang of Otaku-mugging youth

[sketchley]

It was reported on the news in Japan yesterday, that there is a group of young men mugging otaku in Akihabara. There have been 25 reported incidents so far this year.

A reporter asked an 'otaku' in Akihabara what he does to prevent being attacked by this group, and he replied, "I don't wear otaku clothing anymore." (The wife joked that he still looked like a geek, but he does have a good point. A geek does not always equal a push-over otaku.)

For those foreign (to Japan) members of MW who are planning a trip to Japan, and Akihabara in particular, in the near future, please be aware of this group. If they do (attempt to) mug you, head over to the local Koban.

Also, don't give money to anyone in Japan who demands money after leading you to the place you wanted to go to after asking for directions. It'll only encourage them to get more aggressive. Pan handling is non-existant in Japan, and the only time in the past 4+ years that it has ever happened to me, is by another foreigner!!! (and they got an earful about how retardedly irresponsible they were.)

[wolfx]

I didn't dress like the average otaku so its ok. XD

People in Japan are generally nice.

[Mr March]

I always disliked geek shirts anyway. Whenever I got one, I gave it away as soon as possible. They just look ugly, like tourist wear or heavy metal t-shirts. I'll never be caught in one.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Not to state the obvious but if I was going to stick up someone I'd pick either a woman or a dork... the woman would probably put up a fight. It's all about not making yourself a target and IMHO when you walk down the street wearing a baggy InuYasha T-shirt, black socks pulled up to your knees while wearing walmart shorts with a balding pony tail and look about 50 pounds overweight that just screams "mug me I'm incapable of fighting back". Then again, what are you going to get off of a mark like that? A Gundam keychain? A Star Wars wallet full of ones and if you're lucky a five? A small bag of multi sided dice? Easy pickings yes but what do you do with the really shitty pickings you get? I'd like to see the look on a fence's face when a curve dumps a bunch of crap like that on his counter.

[wolfx]

Actually based on my observation, most of the otakus there wear:

1.) checkered shirt unbuttoned over a t-shirt. The t-shirt can be dorky or not. I don't know why they do this. Mebbe they think its cool.

2.) have a back pack to carry their purchases of the day

3.) holding 1 or 2 plastic bags filled with figures/toys or other anime/manga merchandise.

4.) bad color coordination with badly matching clothes

5.) sweaty and smelly probably due to their double shirt combo, in the summer heat no less.

6.) wears a cap or hat of somekind.

7.) plays a game console while walking and miraculously not banging into anyone in front.

[kensei]

I'd love them to try me. *cracks knuckles*

Oh damnit...I don't dress like a geek. Never really like those shirts.

Ever since I started my new course I always dressed professionally. The only time I wear trackies are in the gym.

Edited September 28, 2006 by kensei

[sketchley]

You'll be surprised at how much those otaku are carrying. Anime goods don't come cheap, after all.

I think the news report stated that they made off with ï¿¥7,000 (or was it ï¿¥3,000?) Nevertheless, a pittance compared to the average person, who has between ï¿¥30,000 and 150,000 in their wallet. Yes, otaku, though they are easy marks, tend to have already spent their money...

... which leads me to the suspicion that it is other otaku doing it (why else do the mugging in a gang? Power in numbers?)

[JsARCLIGHT]

But are these crimes of opportunity or crimes of circomstance? Being an easy roll might make thieves more brazen to attack more and more of these people allowing them to make up loot by sheer numbers. It's not uncommon for criminals to purposely target poor or "low yield" marks in volume as they will get the same amount of loot from several relatively easy to rob people as compared to one or two "hard targets" who might have more money on them but would definately be a difficult robbery.

Without more information there is no way to know for sure. Japan does not seem to suffer from a lot of the social "street crime" problems that America does thanks to the glut of drugs flooding our streets so the odds of this being your average "street urchin looking for drug money" mugging are probably out the window. The whole "gang mugging" element leads me more to think it's just punks or some other youth based gang... and as such this may not be about the actual loot stolen from these people but more to the tune of the act of the mugging. It may be some sort of street gang style "jump in" ritual that has cropped up. I know a few years ago here in saint louis there was a rash of car thefts in a certain area... the only thing tying them all together was the car colors, they where all white. It was later discovered that a local street gang was using that as an initiation... they would have the pleeb go rip a white car and drive it back to the others to show them he was cool.

[sketchley]

update:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060929a7.html

Friday, Sept. 29, 2006

Eight boys held in 'otaku' shakedowns

Kyodo News

Eight boys have been arrested for allegedly mugging or attempting to extort money from people on the streets of Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district, police said Thursday.

The boys, ranging in age from 14 to 18, told police they targeted "otaku" (geeks devoted to animation, comics and video games) who often come to the area for shopping -- because the youths regarded their victims as having money and being powerless, according to police.

The eight are specifically suspected of surrounding and threatening to assault a 22-year-old man, a part-time toy store worker, on a street in the district on the evening of Aug. 30 and demanding money.

They allegedly operated in three separate groups.

[Graham]

They were probably mugging people, so they could get money to pay for all the new Yamato Macross releases.

Graham

[wolfx]

They were probably mugging people, so they could get money to pay for all the new Yamato Macross releases.

Graham

Then yamato will be blamed for the social decline of Japan's youth. Then they will shut down and we have no more valks.

[Sumdumgai]

Well my wife and I didn't have to kick the crap out of any gangs of kids when we were in Japan. Probably because my wife towers over the Japanese, while I was on the average to taller side (HAHA! I felt tall for once!).

Great that those punks got arrested.