Boy stabbed during college festival in Tokyo

Tmarie I am not trying to talk bad about Osaka, Kansai, the Kansai dialect, I am just trying to point out that here in Tokyo, in Hachioji were I went to a Japanese university, maybe half of the students were from Kansai, but when they left the campus, their Kansai dialect really made them stand out, here in Tokyo, and in Western Tokyo, Hachioji, Hamura, Hino, Higashi Murayama well we have a lot of low life punks, chinpiras, and I have seen too many fights, from drunk locals angry that the guys from Kansai had all the babes etc. then one guy got a DAI JOKI, up side the head, full of blood, the Hachioji chinpiras were laughing and left with out paying etc.. this kind of BS, and just because one or two people here may be living under rocks and have never seen any violence in Japan, does not mean that this kind of violence does not happen. IMHO. Ok I am ready for 20 thumb down now!

Sounds just like any other lunchtime at an Australian college.

there is alcohol still served at my uni and a lot of the kids are drunk by evening...haven't seen violence though.

Compared to some university parties and festivals in the US, it's rare that these things happen here. Most of them are as fun as fun can be for young students and friends. Fights and outbreaks can happen at City festivals which are more common for them.

My University in Tokyo is famous for it's festival, drinking being allowed on the premises. I never saw any violence around (except some over intoxicated, under aged, 18-year old girls violently falling to the ground after too many shots). Usually it's just young people having fun...

@Maria, Yes I have lived here for 12 years, but I still do not understand the meaning of culture day. Are we supposed to participate or appreciate?

Correction: Oh wait, it was zichi up there at 06:58am, talking about Culture Day. A lot of unis seem to have their festivals around this time.

@tokyokawasaki: Do you actually live in Japan, wiht a question like that? I assume JT has edited the article or something, since I can't see the words "Culture Day any more, but Culture day, or "Bunka no hi" 文化の日 is a national holiday in Japan - it's tomorrow, actually.

Many colleges have had to ban alcohol during their festivals. Once one college did it, everyone else felt compelled to follow suit.

El, funny that no one is agreeing with you. You certainly have a hate on for anything to do with Osaka. Like I said, never seen a fight nor a drunk at these fests. Drunk students getting into fights? Yep. Normal. World over.

"Culture Day" What does that mean?

Too many testosterones plus too much booze?? Bad combination!!

A bit bummed at all the "never seen a drunk" comments. As someone who plans on attending a college festival this weekend, I was sort of hoping alcohol would be served. Makes watching the bands a little more tolerable.

Thanks gaijintraveler! No drunks?? Just hang around on any given weeken say near Hachioji Station many drunk students mostly not from Tokyo but from Kansai stand out with their Kansai Ben in Tokyo local Hachioji chimpira just want to start fights pick up on the cute girls from Kansai etc..,

When I read this article, I wondered what the Salesian Society was. I found this: Salesian communities primarily operate shelters for homeless or at-risk youths; schools; technical, vocational, and language instruction centers for youths and adults; and boys' clubs and community centers.

Perhaps, this tells us something. Could the thief have had a bad upbringing? Is it possible that the university was trying to give him a chance to better himself? Unfortunately, in Japan journalists do not seem to dig deep enough to answer or even find such questions.

So what was his motive? To harm the guy for bad mouthing him or was he in need of 5,000 yen? Maybe both i guess.

Never seen anyone drunk, never seen a fight at any school fest here. The guy sounds like a nutter.

JT has been selective with its use of "boy / man" to describe minors in their late teens. So far, it looks like if the perosn committed a crime, you call him a man (as you did in a crime article last week), and if the person was a victim, you call him a boy. Why the variation, when they are both 19?

@mitoguitarman: this sad incident happened at "College" festival not School.

Huh!?! Elbuda, I've never seen an intoxicated person at the schools festivals I've been involved with for the past 20 years. Have you ever been to one? They are the most organized, sane festivals imaginable.

This is very sad and scary, but I am not surprised. Too many of these so called university festivals here in Japan are supposedly run by the students themselves, so all you get is a free for all, everybody drunk, at least a couple of fist fights, and in this case a full on criminal who was stupid enough to not just hit the other student with his bare hands but stupid enough to use a KNIFE then steal the other guys $$$$?? Real smart dude! I would not be surprised if this idiot comes from a yakuza family, anyway hope he rots in jail.