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The warm weather of spring in Japan is creeping back and with it so to do the exhibitionists. This time early birds in Gifu City were confronted with the sight of a 56-year-old man walking through the streets wearing nothing but a stern expression on his face.
At about 5:40 a.m. on March 2, Gifu police received several reports of a naked man walking around and wasted no time picking him up. Luckily, he was easy to spot.
However, the story took a strange twist when the man, who was undeniably naked, still denied the charges against him. He told police, “My intention wasn’t to be obscene. I was doing it for training.”
It should be noted that the exact word he used was shugyo which refers to a more punishing type of spiritual training designed to harmonize one’s mind and body and get closer to enlightenment. A common example of shugyo is meditating under a waterfall, or pretty much every kung fu movie has a shugyo sequence where the master abusively trains his disciple into a lean, mean, fighting machine.
Readers were largely divided on the suspect being either an aspiring warrior monk or just your run-of-the-mill old naked guy.
“Ah the first pervert of spring has arrived!”
“That’s some training.”
“I wonder if he thought he was making people cross over to the other side of the road with the power of his mind.”
“Actually, walking naked as a form of shugyo isn’t unheard of… He could be legit.”
“This is religious persecution!”
“Maybe getting arrested is all part of the training.”
“It’s hard to cleanse your spirit in such a toxic world…”
“If you want to train like that, fine. Just stay the hell away from me.”
“There was a time when nudity was a part of shugyo… It was a crime then too though.”
“I think he meant he was a Pokemon trainer.”
This shouldn’t be too tough of a case to crack for prosecutors. All they need to do to establish intent is grill the guy on whatever school of physical and spiritual perfection he is attempting to follow, and if he passes, then maybe he is just another Bruce Lee in training.
If not, just chalk it up to yet another man yearning to be free and be seen.
Sources: Tokai TV, Hachima Kiko
Read more stories from SoraNews24.
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2019/03/06/naked-man-arrested-for-public-nudity-denies-charges-i-was-training/
42 Comments
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seadog538
They say it pays to advertise!
JonathanJo
Not afraid of us seeing his short-comings.
sensei258
Just a little g-string and he wouldn't have been arrested
602miko
If he is in 30s I will look for it,
Omachi
I have seen the same - a man still steaming from his hot bath, and cooling off on the public stairway outside his home. But then he went back in after maybe five minutes or so.
But to take a morning walk wearing nothing but a frown...
Maria
No. Genitals and pubic hair in public view is an Obscenity. He must be charged and prevented from doing it again.
Strangerland
It's stupid that it's illegal to be naked. Of course, I'd much prefer is people cover up for the most part, but if someone doesn't want to, that's their shame, not mine.
It's not like someone gets hurt by seeing a penis or a vagina.
Strangerland
The idea that genitals are pubic hair are obscenities is in and of itself an obscenity. These are our bodies that we were born with, and if there is a god, that god gave these bodies to us. It's ridiculous to think our bodies are obscenities.
Kobe White Bar Owner
Dam i wish i'd used that one on my stag night!
Strangerland
Typo. Should have been: genitals and pubic hair.
jcapan
Not to go full Puritan on you but would you have a problem with a flasher approaching a young girl, i.e. getting his rocks off on exposing himself to children who are not equipped to comprehend such things. At a certain age, one would hope they'd just point and laugh.
Nude beaches, sure, whatever floats your boat. I don't want to see some guy/girl's joke on my morning commute though.
Strangerland
It's because we have such a puritan view on nudity that guys like this are able to get off. It's the 'badness' of it that causes the sexual excitement that they get off on. If we shifted our attitude as society to 'oh, there's a naked person. Who cares, carry on', the taboo would be removed, as would the excitement from being naked for flashers.
It's what I've told my daughter to do.
Goodlucktoyou
In a couple of western countries I have in we have nudist beaches. I miss them here.
vic.M
MariaToday 07:47 am JST
No. Genitals and pubic hair in public view is an Obscenity. He must be charged and prevented from doing it again. -----------------------------------------------------------
There is a town in Japan that has a penis festival each year.
Cricky
Making it illegal actually promotes it's naughtiness. The crime is?........being naughty. Who is the victim of this travesty of no clothes? Uni clothes.
nandakandamanda
Japanese acronym TPO, IMHO.
Keep this thing at home, wear a loin cloth, or go to Goodlucktoyou's designated nudist beach.
Mocheake
Pretty cold in Gifu, especially at that hour, so I'm sure there was very little to see there. Let's move on.
Aly Rustom
Naked man arrested for public nudity denies charges; says he was doing spiritual training
JUUUUST when you think you've heard it all...
Aly Rustom
Crack indeed! I'll say! LOL!
shogun36
Why is it always the middle aged guys that do this? Where are the women that follow this type of training?
Maria
According to Japanese law, genitals and pubic hair are an Obscenity. Even if it's their image. By this token, this man ought to be kept in custody, tried in court, and imprisoned and fined.
Case in point, Megumi Igarashi:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megumi_Igarashi
Yubaru
If he was walking around with a woodie yeah maybe, but come on, pubic hair isnt obscene, it's people's mind that are!
Maria
@Yubaru - the law's the law. If they can arrest and try a woman for a 3-D image of, and a canoe designed in the image of a vulva, then they have to arrest a man for displaying the actual genitalia.
Otherwise the law of Japan displays a misogynistic double-standard of the highest level.
And I'm sure they don't want to do that.
Alex Einz
Chill already, its like nobody here have ever seen a naked guy or a cock before...
at 5 am in the morning too ... I would be more concerned for his physical health and catching a cold.
macv
photo?
JapanFan
Rather cold to be running around nikked.
Ah_so
Actually misogynistic thinking is anyway on display. The numerous penis festivals around Japan are evidence of that. Always the penis is in a state of sexual arousal. They are celebrated yet an artist is persecuted.
The idea that a part of the body could be obscene is absurd.
starpunk
People do get hurt if some sick-o idiot flashes their junk right at your face for no good reason! Besides, little kids need to know about sex organs - when they're at the age to begin understanding.
Yeah - I agree. Then again, I wouldn't want to stroll around with idiots gawking at my junk. But that's just me.
Serrano
Luckily, he was easy to spot.
Ya don't say!
Why is it always the middle aged guys that do this? Where are the women that follow this type of training?
Women are on average not as idiotic as men.
Aly Rustom
Are you saying you see alot of naked guys and cocks?
theFu
shugyo - well, that makes it all fine.
I've never understood why nudity is an issue, but almost any violence on TV is ok.
nandakandamanda
"Rather cold", JapanFan? Surely that's the whole point of Shugyo asceticism, to train yourself block out a little cold.
That's like saying, "Isn't it rather cold to be performing spiritual training?!" LOL
In this sense though, the guy's self-centered logic holds up.
Strangerland
No, you just see some skin. It doesn't actually cause any hurt at all.
You can explain the sex part as they get older. But a kid of any age seeing a penis/vagina is only going to be traumatized if their parents have taught them that there is something wrong with penises/vaginas.
jcapan
In the wake of the Louis CK and Matt Lauer scandals, men were polled in the US and 1 in 4 didn't think flashing even qualified as sexual harassment. Extolling the virtues of public nudity, fair enough, though I'd say they should keep to designated areas or events--Mardi Gras, nudist beaches or camps. So those who have less permissive attitudes than yours can more easily avoid seeing their private bits.
But now you're going to bat for flashers. That really it's not the men doing any harm, it's just that women and children should buck up and be more liberated about their bodies. As always, it's fascinating to observe men (who make up the overwhelming majority of exhibitionists) hold forth about what women and young girls (the overwhelming majority of victims) feel about indecent exposure. See here: https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=60205
Also, from the Journal of Forensic Psychology
Indecent exposure: The impact upon the victim's fear of sexual crime
Sharon Riordan MA
Strangerland
Well no, it's not just women as evidenced by the comments from men in this thread. Society needs to buck up and be more liberated about our bodies.
If someone sees your bits - so what? If you see someone's bits, so what?
I don't disagree with the fact that it does cause women distress (and a lot of men as well). And they aren't wrong for feeling this way - it's how they were raised. My point is that we as society cause the issue of flashers by making it a point that people are so sensitive about, they freak out when they see someone's bits.
It's just some flesh. Seeing it literally causes no physical damage. The only damage caused is in people's heads. (Which again, doesn't mean it's not real).
doel jusino
Hey he needed to air out his package.. Like the old saying goes "Chin Chin Bura Bura Sausageeee"
starpunk
When somebody flashes his erect rocket or when a woman exposes herself, and taunts the other person by saying, 'this is for you!' or just does it as a shock tactic - you'd better believe it's a sexual harassment! it's intimidation by exposure. It's a sick power game on the part of the flasher and the flashee gets stunned by this sudden display of sexual organs. The flasher thinks (s)he's being 'cute' and 'funny' but it's all a shock game.
doel jusino
I'm sure we've all seen a naked body before SO what's the big deal ??? if you notice a naked person in the street or anywhere at all you have a choice you can look or turn your head and not look .... If you decide to look then Do Not Complain after all you did have a choice.
Strangerland
I agree. But if a guy flashes his junk at me, he's going to get no pleasure, because I'm not going to be shocked, I'm just going to say 'dude, put away your junk'.
These guys get pleasure because as society, we've decided that it's 'painful' and 'hurtful' to see a penis or a vagina. This is ridiculous - these are just parts of our body. There is no physical pain that comes from seeing someone's junk. The only 'hurt' is a result of society's weird fascination with being allowed to see this piece of skin, while that one is considered offensive.
starpunk
When a flasher exposes like that and says 'this is for you!', it IS meant to shock and terrify you because what that person is really indicating or saying is that (s)he wants to rape you. If the sex organ is positioned close to your face, it's meant to shock and terrify you.
It can be a bit different for a woman. If one comes up to and disrobes or at least bares her breasts then that indicates she wants a sexual favor. That too can be a shock and/or intimidating factor as well, depending on the situation. If a woman tries that on me, I can just tell her to put her clothes back on.
There's no physical pain from exposure, but flashing can cause psychological pain - especially to a child.
Strangerland
I'm not disagreeing that it is mean to do that. What I'm saying is that it's silly that we as society has labeled this as something that would ever shock and terrify you. It's skin. Are you worried about getting raped when you see the top of someone's butt? When you see their ankle? Why suddenly if it's penis or vagina flesh, is it suddenly scary? It's entirely illogical, and it's a problem with society; demonizing our bits.
Exactly. Whether or not you are offended is up to you. Plenty of women ARE offended when they see breasts. Which is pretty silly - do you think African tribes that go topless have these hangups?