A Singaporean woman’s solo trip in Japan turned sour when a local man started heckling her and behaved aggressively.
Stomp contributor Jann said the incident took place at Hakone Shrine on the morning of Nov 19, when she was posing for photos at the iconic spot, being “very mindful of the three-minute rule”.
She was referring to a rule about how visitors are allowed up to three minutes to take pictures at the shrine.
Jann, who is in her 50s, explained: “There is a signboard placed prominently next to the queue for the shrine. From what I could see, everyone was abiding by the rule — tourists and locals alike.
“I had asked a solo traveller (a PhD student from China) queuing in front of me to take my pics and I would take his.
“It is possible the Japanese man thought we were together in a group and therefore should take three minutes in total. Even then, I am sure the two of us took three minutes or less. There was a line of visitors since it’s a famous spot, so both of us were very mindful.
“This Japanese guy was heckling me in the background, saying, “Chinese go home.”
“When I asked him whether he had actually timed me, he just repeated the above refrain and showed me his middle finger. I should have probably walked away at this point, but in a flash I thought I should take his pic for remembrance.
“He snatched away my phone, pushed me and refused to return my phone.
“Fortunately, a big European guy stood up, removed my phone from the man and returned it to me, saying, ‘You don’t treat a lady like that.’
“Like all bullies, the man capitulated when confronted by a bigger guy.”
The Stomp contributor, whose phone strap was broken during the altercation, added: “I have actually written to the Japanese tourism agency with feedback to install a timer at the shrine.”
Jann, who is currently still in Hakone, shared her background: “I studied Japanese for a while and have a sense of affinity with Japanese culture. I am very mindful of Japanese customs e.g. keep your volume low, don’t eat while walking, etc.
“It’s quite a pity that I came across such an unreasonably rude Japanese. He was clearly heckling because of anti-Chinese sentiments and did it even when I was taking photos.
“This is the very first time I have encountered such antagonistic behaviour with expressed anti-Chinese sentiments. I am sharing this so that solo travellers to Japan can be more mindful of anti-Chinese sentiments and Japanese misogyny.
“To be clear, there is always bad sheep in any race, country or region. Just be mindful of what can happen. Anyway, running into a local bigot is a small incident in the bigger scheme of life.”
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This article was first published in Stomp. Permission required for reproduction.
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