Source please....

Aside from crap that happen around the army base in Okinawa, most notorious and serious crime in Japan are committed by Japanese. As I said do asearcg on those cases and you will see

You know what else? The there are lots of lovely Chinese and Korean immigrants doing all kind of illegal activities in Japan (and other parts of the world)

duke nukem? :cool:

i wanted to ask about using a phone. since my information tells me that using one on a train or a bus is prohibited. so does this goes along with privacy so others don't over-hear you or so you don't disturb them, or is it just so guys can't take photos of schoolgirl underpants?

you know, their are people who can be left to die because nobody bothered to call and see if they were alright.

It happens here a LOT---------If nobody cares about neighbours or good friends then what use are they?

Never to call in case their house is untidy. Good friends Actually help and do shopping and clean if needed and help look after their friend or neighbour. If one NEVER dare intrude even though they are worried- someone could be left in a bad way-- and even die.

When our friend had a cold we did some shopping for her, bought fruit etc and left it at the house.

That's right you are not meant to have conversations on a phone on public transport. Texting is fine. I don't think it's about privacy. More about courtesy to others. I wish they had the same courtesy here in Aus.

Anything that didn`t have to do with Bobby and what he said.

Prohibited?
They have made it so that the phones work even in the subways, and there are designated phone call areas on the shinkansen.

People just don`t *talk* on their phones in public. You VERY rarely encounter someone talking on their phone loud enough to be overheard, and even more rarely to the point where it is disturbing. (I think I can count the number of times I`ve seen someone obnoxiously loud on one hand.)
People usually just play games, check stuff online, and send mail. There are signs asking you not to talk on the phone, but using the phone is fine.

ETA; I suppose use on public transportation might be prohibited - to me "use" includes things other that just talking.

There is a significant difference between not attempting to contact someone, and just not dropping in out of the blue. I don`t know the situation with your friend, so I will not try to comment on why she has done what she has. It may have absolutely nothing to do with culture - there are countless reasons a person might become depressed or want to distance themselves from life for a bit.

It is perfectly fine in Japan to be concerned about friends. It is perfectly fine to call them up and check on them. People just don`t go over to visit out of the blue under normal circumstances. If there is some reason to think that something is wrong, then the situation is completely different. I don`t think that anyone would be upset about a visit from a friend who was honestly worried and had no other way to contact them (unless they were fine and that friend insisted upon coming in and "visiting".)

The key point is "if needed". If you are having a few bad days, would you want a friend to just show up and start "helping"? I most certainly wouldn`t even want my closest family to do so without an okay from me.

I don`t think that anyone meant people should NEVER intrude - but rather that people just don`t show up to visit without contacting the person first. If there is reason to worry, things are different.

All those things are still okay, just with a call first and like "I bought some stuff for you and I'd like to drop it off, when's a good time to pass by?" and then not enter the house unless sincerely invited in.

If the phones kept ringing with no answer, contacting a family member to express concern would be the next step, a good friend would have family's contact info or a way to get it.

While other continue to DEBATE (again, not arguing) on other subjects, please have a look at these 2 link

Akihabara massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Murder of Junko Furuta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and finally this link:

List of major crimes in Japan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The serious ones are not just serious in nature, most of them point to a fetish or some psychological problems as the root cause, the are gruesome, cruel and nasty in nature with a sick motive.

This is not to discourage anyone from loving japan. I still do, I love it dearly..... well, not going to explain myself further, those with senses know what i am trying to do....

I think that, if it's what you mean, and I assume it is, it's a good think to clarify that a "visit" means knocking on the door but not stepping in unless sincerely invited in.

That kind of visit, I imagine, would go along the lines of; knock, oh thank god you're okay I was worried about you, I'm sorry I disturbed you I should get going, no there's no need for me to come in, I'm just glad you're okay, you had me worried! Let's see each other soon.

looking at that last link, I am quite surprised at how low the number of deaths are, it seems like 6 o'clock news material in the states

except the Super Free rapes... that's sickening

Now I can understand what is meant in every tourism book about Japan when dealing with social interactions. If you are ever invited to someone's home, consider it a great honor. I do understand that in order for them to invite you, they would plan this in advance and such. But still, it's the opportunity to see an aspect of life not too many people get a glimpse of.

Quite an entertaining and informative discussion.