TOKYO (TR) – They are called meiwaku gaikokujin (or “nuisance foreigners”) — and they were behind another incident involving a garbage truck last weekend at a convenience store in Shibuya Ward.
The case, the second to take place at the convenience store in the last six months, may be referred to law enforcement, reports Fuji News Network (Jan. 31).
Around 2 a.m. on January 26, many foreigners were gathered in front of a Family Mart outlet on Shibuya Center-gai street in Udagawacho.
Video footage taken at the time shows a blue garbage truck trying to make a left turn past the store. However, its path is blocked. The driver sounds the horn.
Just as the crowd parts, two foreign men with cans in their hands climb atop the back of the vehicle and ride for several meters.
“That’s why, that’s why, that’s why,” the person filming the scene repeatedly says, implying that such acts are why foreigners have a poor reputation in Japan.
“Gaijin Mart”
Last August 7, 2024, a nuisance foreigner was seen climbing onto the roof of the same convenience store.
The network speaks with a foreign man about why foreigners gather in this particular area. “This area is the center of Shibuya,” the man said. “There are a lot of clubs and izakaya restaurants. It’s easy to meet and talk to other people. So you can make new friends every day.”
Another foreigner said that his friend lives in the area and brought him there. “Gaijin Mart, Gaijin Mart! Foreigners come here,” he said.
The network says their presence in the area is resulting in these incidents.
A representative of the refuse company that owns the garbage truck commented, “When collecting waste in busy areas with a lot of people late at night, we drive with the utmost care so as not to obstruct the passage of other vehicles or pedestrians. Please stop dangerous behavior towards waste collection vehicles like this.”
The refuse company is also consulting with Tokyo Metropolitan Police about the incident