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Never Throw The First Punch In Japan

September 10, 2011 by The Runaway Guide 8 Comments

seven samurai movie drunk guy

If I had only been familiar with Japanese law and understood the risk of deportation, I would have never challenged that drunken Samurai to a fight.

 

Here’s how it all went down.

Four Japanese friends and I had just departed from an awesome soccer match between Japan and Scotland. As we cruised the city streets of Yokohama, on our way back to the countryside, the night suddenly took a turn for the worse. For no apparent reason, the car next to us began to violently swerve into our lane.

When I looked out the window to see what was going on, is when I first locked eyes with him. There, in the passenger seat of a small Honda hatchback was what can only be described as an enraged drunken samurai. With a face as red as a stop light and eyes as bulges as a blowfish, he grabbed the wheel out from under his girlfriend and continuously attempted to hit us while yelling incessantly.

“GO!” I yelled to my friend Kenta who was driving. We quickly sped passed him but just when we thought we had out maneuvered him, the light turned red, and he pulled up right behind us.

“O shit, here he comes” I thought to myself as the girls in the car screeched in fear. Screaming like a samurai from an Akira Kurosawa film, he staggered up to the car. Inflamed with rage he began to punch the glass windows. Unable to break them, he moved to the windshield. With one mighty punch, the glass cracked.

He peered in at us with crazy bloodshot drunken eyes while reaching for the door handle. It felt like the T-Rex scene from Jurrasic Park. “Lock The Doors!” I yelled to Kenta. But it was too late. Before I knew it, he had dragged Kenta from his seat, gotten him in a headlock and began pummeling his head against the side of the car.

“I have got to help Kenta” I thought. With my adrenaline on high and my heart pounding out of my chest, I made my way towards the door. However, all at once, the girls yelled, “No, don’t go, no, no.”  Though I was ready to go, they’re cries were too insistent, and so I reluctantly sat back down.

As I watched Kenta getting beat up, I wondered why he was not fighting back. He had told me earlier that night that he was a master in Karate. More, his brother, who was also a karate master, calmly continued to watch as his brother began to bleed from the forehead.

“That’s it” I though, “I have got to do something.” This time I sprang out of the car without second thought. Filled with adrenaline, my body seemed to move effortlessly and out of my control. Swiftly, I lunged toward the samurai and punched him square on the top the head.

Shocked, he released Kenta and turned around to see who had hit him. With veins ready to burst in anger, he straggled towards me. Instinctively, I leaped back while my brain tried to assess whether to fight or flee.

He threw a slow punch, and I easily moved my head left to doge it. Then I quickly responded with a lighting fast right hook to the side of his face. He fell to the ground.

Fearing revenge and believing we could now make our escape, I leaped back into the car and urged Kenta to drive away.

Then the cops finally showed up. With nothing but a flashlight, a short Donald Duck looking cop waddled over to assess the situation. He politely addressed the drunken samurai and asked what the problem was. Still enraged, the samurai continued his rant.

Long story short, we were all asked to go to the police station. There, to my disbelief, the detective informed me that I would be charged with assault and deported. I was livid. He informed me that Japanese law states that who ever throws the first punch is guilty. To which I responded, “so putting someone in a headlock and bashing their head against the car doesn’t count?” Again he responded, “since you are a foreigner and you made first punch, you are guilty.”

Moral of the story, before you get into a fight, even if you have good intentions, familiarize your self with local laws.

 

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Filed Under: Runaway's Blog Tagged: fight, japan, stories

Let Me Know What You Think!

  1. ThatKid says

    December 17, 2013 at 8:27 pm

    Why exactly did he went Stalker Mode on you guys?

    Reply
    • The Runaway Guide says

      December 18, 2013 at 1:25 pm

      Drunk I think, that’s probably it. He just wanted a fight.

      Reply
  2. Ian Robinson says

    November 19, 2011 at 2:27 pm

    Gotta get out of there before the cops get there! Good bash work anyways.

    Reply
  3. flipnomad says

    September 11, 2011 at 1:12 am

    crazy!!!.. good thing no one had a gun or else someone could’ve ended dead .. well.. life…

    Reply
    • The Runaway Guide says

      September 13, 2011 at 7:24 am

      at least he wasn’t wielding a sword.

      Reply
  4. Nomadic Samuel says

    September 10, 2011 at 8:45 am

    That’s a crazy story! I’ve often avoided situations with potentially violent locals whenever I can because it’s definitely true that as a foreigner you’re most likely to have the finger pointed at you.

    Reply
    • The Runaway Guide says

      September 13, 2011 at 7:25 am

      I always have to learn my lesson the hard way unfortunately.

      Reply
  5. Grace says

    September 10, 2011 at 8:26 am

    What a crazy story! I’m glad you stuck up for your friend!!

    Reply

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Who Is The Runaway Guide?

When I was 16 I ran away from home and traveled the world with nothing but the clothes on my back. Over 10 years later and I'm still "on the run," surviving in style, thriving off adventure, searching for that elusive road to enlightenment, and cultivating the life of travel that I want to live. More...

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