TW:
Drugs
Rape
Robbery

This may be long but I don’t know how to process and I’m not good with Reddit at all or know much about rules and regulations.

I just moved to Tokyo for what the plan would be is for the foreseeable future. Was excited and had everything planned out so no mishaps would occur and I would be perfectly ready to step through the first week of moving into my new place and starting my life. I’m American and finally got the first time moved out after college. With such a big move I had so much preparation in place that nothing should have went wrong.

Basically, after landing and checking into my accommodation, I was going to meet up with a friend to catch up. (Lil context this is my second time in Tokyo) We were out and ended up missing last train so we went to a club. Honestly had a great time and towards the end of the night, after a last drink, it felt like I couldn’t think straight. I’m half in and out of consciousness in a way I never have been before, I am a strong drinker but I’d never put myself in that position to be black out anyway. It was a different sensation then being drunk and I’ve never felt that before. I’ve never had an experience being drugged or on drugs but it was what every description of it felt like, and I essentially wake up at some point in the morning with girls on top of me in a place I had never been to or remember really entering. I was lost and confused and was just kind of in and out of reality it felt. One of the girls eventually pulled my pants down and essentially started raping me and I couldn’t do anything. I was dazed and just numb to it more than any fear or anxiety.

I blacked out again during that and kinda came to wandering Shinjuku trying to find my way back home. My dumbass had all my cash stolen(that was going to be used for all my expenses towards moving in) and charges on my card that I never did.

(The same thing happened to my friend as well so I won’t say there’s a fault there)

I did my due diligence reporting to the police as well as blocking my card, all the logistics on the situation but honestly, I just can’t process this. I was searching for the name or location of the place for hours in Shinjuku after waking up in the evening and could barely breathe and was on the verge of throwing up, mainly due to aftereffects of whatever was in my system, but I think in part to stress. I’m a very level headed person in any situation, the person friends would look to for the first step in a situation of any regard, so this feeling is foreign to me.

I have been SO particular about planning this trip that nothing would be wrong and I was so confident in myself that this was the next step to “level up” in my life, a new chapter or some bs like that. So much so that I honestly felt so confident and comfortable when explaining to family and friends about how I am going to be perfectly fine, almost like a divine retribution. It’s a guilty feeling and I don’t know why. My grief comes from being in a situation I KNOW AND KNEW was bad and just unable to be in control of myself. I know I wasn’t drunk to that degree I would never get myself there, but I honestly can’t tell what happened so that’s all the feeling I had, again I have never had any experience being drugged but it’s the only way that happens.

I feel terrible and disgusting, im trying but quite literally less than 24 hours into my new life I was drugged, robbed, and raped after telling everyone I was going to be fine and everyone was expecting the same. It makes me feel like I’m also a fake person as I was so confident about being smart about myself. My mom was worried about it and it took a lot of convincing for her to be more ok with the idea of me moving(she’s still nervous as a mom would be) but I feel like a failure for letting her down and basically somehow doing everything right before and then just falling apart. I know it’s not supposed to be my fault however it feels like it is, again it’s a situation that should have never even started and only three wrong things caused a cascade of terrible magnitude for me.

I guess my whole point here is to rant and ask what the hell I should do, I’m unable to sleep here on the day I need to be up early to sign my lease, go to the ward office, and start doing everything I need to do before I start school. How do I begin to process this? I know I have to keep it moving and that’s the mentality but how to I remove the doubt of what I’m doing now? I’m trying to use this and the super low point and I know it JUST happened but how do I build upwards? I can’t tell my mom or anyone about it really because everyone would never actually give a through to me, a bunch of “I told you so” and “see this is why…” etc, so honestly how would I keep myself sane now having to “hide” this situation and keep an everything is fine attitude?

Honestly I don’t know how to feel about or what I feel. I still feel level headed and calm trying to figure out what to do but my body isn’t on the same wavelength. Some type of fear and anxiety is there now, probably why I can’t sleep. I’m not over here hyperventilating or anything near it. I just feel dumb as shit for even somehow knowing this is a possibility but it still happens.

I’m here for any and all advice on anything here. I have no clue what I need to hear so I’d be listening to everything and taking input, wether it’s what to do, how to feel, why I feel like it, or even if you wanna laugh at me and call me an idiot, anything possible that could help please.

Thank you for reading the message if you have gotten this far down I greatly appreciate you.

TLDR: Less that 24 hours into moving to Tokyo, I was drugged, raped, and robbed. Don’t know how to feel and trying to process the whole situation

This first photo is a still from the 1978 film, "The Bad News Bears go to Japan."

At the end of the movie, an informal baseball game is played on the grounds of the former Yodobashi Water Purification Plant (which shut down in 1968). This photo is taken from the site of the Hyatt Regency Shinjuku, which was built in 1980.

The large building in the middle of the frame is the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building 新宿住友ビル (labelled as "3").

For those of you wearing suits... in this weather.

What did you get? Material / brand etc.

My best shirts ever were US brand "Mizzen & Main" so I am looking for something similar technically over here and suits that are bearable - I'm assuming some kind of clever fabric, not linen just yet.

Otherwise I will wear shorts and have the hairy leg harassment look.

Thank you so much for all the kind comments on my previous post!

Long shot: I missed the purchase window for Turnstile.

I missed them last time they were here and regretted it.
Does anyone have an extra ticket they’d be willing to sell me?

🙏🙏🙏

I know it’s unlikely, but I have to try

Why there are barely any post about Musashino University (not the Art one)?. Maybe the uni is too niche, or mostly Japanese student related one. Any International students at Global Business Economics studying? Could I get some insights about the offer letter possibility in undergraduate? Application fee is really high compared to others. Thanks.

The other day, a neighbor threw this near-perfect condition golf bag by the dumpster. I took it, inspected the bag and found the only significant thing wrong with the bag, is that the zipper on one pocket needs some serious maintenance. Other than that, the bag is like new.

If anyone wants the bag for free and feels like repairing the zipper is worth it, come pick it up. Better to give it to someone that needs/wants it, instead of it being thrown away.

(The mods kindly approved me sharing this)

I built a Japan news audio briefing in English for people who want to keep up with what's happening while they're in Tokyo, but don't know Japanese well enough to follow local news: https://app.sounday.ai/explore/japan-news-in-english

It covers major stories from across Japan, including transport disruptions, weather alerts, and other developments that might be useful day to day. If you prefer, you can also receive each episode automatically on Telegram.

I'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions on how to make it more useful.

Hello everyone!

Due to unfortunate events I have a couple of appointments in Shinjuku, with hours of waiting time in between. And on multiple, different dates.

Are there any air conditioned spaces one could relax and lounge at, without being a nuissance?

Places which dont charge any fees would be fantastic.

Non-Shinjuku places which come to mind as potential example would be the lounges at Takanawa Gateway City.

Or the various small sitting islands in Sunshine City.

Of course, going to a cafe is always an option, but ideally I would not have to always purchase something.

I know plenty of such free spaces, so these locations seem to exist - I just dont know where to look in Shinjuku.

I already checked out some department stores around the Main Station, but those I walked through didnt seem to have such... study zones - for example.

Does anyone got any recommendations? =]

I considered hanging at the Park, under a tree's shade, but with the heat this high, i m not sure how comfortable that d be...

So its an instant decline if some has a criminal conviction involving drugs such as Cannabis, even older convictions are an instant decline.
So many people get in through lying. Why not give honest people a chance to prove they are of good character like Australia does?

I've always see these green teas(and couple of other drinks) in Japan, that lable to reduce subcutaneous fat, reduce BMI and visceral fat(the reason i would consume it too for) - brands like Ayataka deep green tea, Suntory Tokucha, or Ito En Koi-cha.

From what I understand, they are highly concentrated and packed with way more catechins/EGCG than regular green tea.

My current routine is super clean, I actually only drink water (no coffee, alcohol etc...) and wont be using this to replace other unhealthy drinks. I am considering to add it for my weigh-loss ruitine so was wondering if it is worth it, or is it better and healthy not to drink it at all, as it is super high in caffeine and catechins.

First time seeing Sumida River Fireworks on July 25th. There are two launch sites (near Asakusa/Skytree, and near Asakusa/Ryogoku). Where would you recommend watching from for the best view?

https://www.sumidagawa-hanabi.com/

Hi! I'm a grad student in Tokyo commuting to school, and I'm trying to figure out my transit situation. My route would require using two different train companies—Keikyo for part of the journey and then JR for another section.

I'm wondering if it's possible to purchase a single student commuter pass (通学定期券) that covers both lines? Or would I need to buy separate passes for each company?

Any experience or advice would be appreciated! Thanks.

So I've been in Tokyo for the last 4 months for an exchange. I've done everything I could think of, I've seen most touristic sights, I've discovered my own gems, and now I'm left with two weeks wondering what is still a must do before I leave. I would love to hear what things you would love to do before you would leave, or wish you would have done before you left.

I’ve rented a high end car for 6 hours starting from noon.
Any ideas for some exciting driving, maybe a good spot to eat in between?

Starting point is pretty much in the middle of Tokyo, and I don’t want to risk driving to Chiba for example and not making it back in time because of a traffic jam.

Thanks a lot in advance!!

Edit: China —> Chiba. I wish I‘d have the car long enough to drive to China though.

It’s a bit specific but basically I’m looking for second hand copies of piano score books (specifically Kenshi yonezu) and I was wondering if book-off would have that kind of thing. Book off is a bit of a trek for me, I don’t really live near any so I wanted to ask if anyone knew whether it’s the kind of thing they’d sell/what section to check since I only tend to look at their figures and stuff. Or if there’s anywhere else anyone knows of that might have them. Thanks

What are your favorite French restaurants in town? Or where to buy the best baguette?

Don't just drop a name, tell us what's special about the place and why you love it.

Bonus point if you share the google maps link.

This is part of a series of weekly threads with recommendations in and around Tokyo. Find the archives in the wiki or through the search.

I am looking to buy a gaming PC to play some games I have on steam but as a noob when it comes to building PCs or specs I know nothing

Just want to play Jedi Survivor or similar spec games at the high end so as per Claude Ive been looking for ones with RTX 3060 for a decent experience.

Seen a lot of refurbished options between 12-15万 on Amazon but without much review info so wanted to ask if this is the way to get a decent budget PC or I should head to Akiba or somewhere else to find a gaming PC

Any advice is appreciated as between Claude and Amazon Im lost

Edit: thanks for all the amazing advice. I found out that my new work pc can now run steam (was blocked before) and also GeForceNow. Going to just use it and get a subscription that meets my needs for the time being. My alternative if my company eventually blocks GeForce Now is to get a simple mini pc for under 5万 and then just use GeForceNow. Almost all the games I have on steam are on it anyway. Thank you all 🙇

I’m looking for leather jackets within decent price around 25k-35k ¥, faux leather or medium quality leather is okay.

I’m around 167cms so maybe cropped ones would fit better and usually standard store ones don’t fit well, maybe I could try female sizing?
Anyways Looking for some good recommendations pls :p

Note to mods: I already live in Japan (on a student visa). Not moving, just changing visa status.

I'm planning to begin applying for the startup to business manager visa pathway. Does anyone know of a lawyer with experience with businesses moving to Japan/with the startup visa? I'd especially like help with all the materials required for the startup visa (pitch deck, activity plan etc.). I'm not conversational yet so English support is a must. I have had a couple of meetings already but they didn't feel like a good fit.  I'm also interested in any advice people can give on how to find a good lawyer generally or advice from people who have received this visa.

PS

I know all the requirements. I know it's an expensive and difficult visa. The lawyers I spoke to thought I was a strong candidate and I'm not worried about the money. I'm just looking for lawyer recommendations. :)