Police in Sapporo have arrested a 49-year-old woman who left a restaurant without paying the bill. When found two hours later, the woman only had 10 yen on her.
Police said the woman, who claims she is an illustrator, entered the eatery at around 12:30 a.m. Thursday. Hokkaido Hoso reported that the woman stayed for about 40 minutes, eating ramen, chahan (fried rice) and gyoza. After she finished eating, instead of paying the 2,650 yen bill, she ran out of the restaurant.
The restaurant manager, a man in his 70s, went outside after her and followed her in his car. The woman stopped near her residence and lay down on the sidewalk and the manager called police.
Police said the woman was not injured, just tired. They said she only had 10 yen on her when she was taken into custody.
© Japan Today
40 Comments
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momoclo
She must've been really hungry to do that. But it is quite a bit more than what I usually pay for lunch. Anyway, I hope she can get back on her feet. It feels a lot better leaving a restaurant after you've paid the bill.
Rodney
It hard to run a restaurant in these hard times. Poor old man.
OssanAmerica
She shouldn't have eaten so much if she intended to make a run for it.
Dee
It would have been nice if someone would have paid for her. I would have. Now our tax money is paying for her to go through the system.
justasking
Now taxpayers are spending ~3M JPY per day for making the arrest and detaining her for a mere JPY2,650.
This should be a civil offense, not crime.
tamanegi
I would like to know more about the woman's domestic and possibly medical situation before passing any judgment on her.
Yrral
They would not arrest you in America ,they would give you a trespassing warning,not too return
nothisrealname
Slow news day?
OssanAmerica
Because eating, not paying and running is a crime. And scorning someone who commits a crime is not being "righteous" it's the normal thing to do. What you have no morals or respect for laws?
If she was that destitute and hungry she could have asked ther store, and they might even have given her a meal. If not this place, the next one.
Newgirlintown
The question should be why she was in that situation in the first place.
WA4TKG
A $25 Dine and Dash makes the International News ? Really ?
Mr Kipling
Taking a nap on the sidewalk may well indicate that not all is well in her mind.
Sounds like another case of mental illness.
Wesley
I'm sure you'd be singing a different tune if the genders were switched.
It would have been nicer if she had ASKED someone for help rather than running off like a criminal.
Again, I'm sure you'd be singing a different tune if the genders were switched.
Brian Wheway
I think the police should say to her, if you cant pay because your skint, youl have to do x amount of hours unpaid work at the restaurant to pay for the food. this way the owner will get some sort of payment back. also if there is any uneaten food or left overs rather than throwing it away she could eat it.
if shes a good artist, may be the tresturant owner could let her display her art work on his walls, when an item get sold he can take a commission off each item.
u_s__reamer
She will have a few dishes to wash before she's settled her bill.
CKAI
Sad aint it. This 10 yen desperado, actually desperate. Meanwhile all the talk about liftin 2yen a taxpayer to throw a public funeral…
WilliB
Without more context we can not judge what was going on. Did she only have 10 yen physicall with her that day, or is she homeless and that is all she has to her name?
Three goals
It wasn't the worst thing in the world someone could do. Some people steal millions of dollars from company accounts or bribe people. I would look into her circumstances too. There is apparently a shortage of workers. Some social welfare people could help her find a job and she can easily pay back the relatively small amount of money back to the restaurant owner.
Sanjinosebleed
Inflation….
Mocheake
A bit expensive for ramen, chahan and gyoza. In the old days, they'd make you wash the dishes or clean the floor. What's the minimum wage? Eight hundred yen per hour? She should have to do 3-4 hours of free work to pay for the food. No arrest.
buchailldana
Sounds like a person who wants to eat something nice before the bad things come.
I wish I could have treat you.
This type of thing is going to become more common especially in the UK.
Such a waste
Thomas Twatt
That’s understandable. I’ve done it myself a few times, truth be told. Usually after I’ve had about ten pints of beer, right enough.
TT
tomlives
Reading so many comments on here portraying her as a victim.
Funny when a woman commits a crime she's always a 'poor soul who found herself in a bad situation and it's not her fault'.
Whereas when a man commits a crime he's just a criminal, and let's throw the book at him.
Tokyo-gaijin
I’m amazed this has been reported.
Marr Bourdein
So sad to hear such news, too much drama when a helping hand could have gone much further.
Concerned Citizen
If she's honestly desperate and poor then make the meal free and direct her somewhere where she can get help to get back on her feet.
King Of Pringles
@therewasanattempt to dine & dash
juminRhee
Why not just have her work off her meal at the restaurant? Maybe about 3-4 hours?
Michael Machida
I as well as many people feel very sorry for the women. She obviously was extremely hungry. Giving another human a hand up is the right thing to do. Scorning her is the wrong thing to do. Why be so righteous?
Christopher Bauer
"Does she have any credit card?" "Or debit card." Credit cards and debit cards mean that one has money. You know that, right? Maybe you guys need to see a financial counselor before making any more purchases.
Sven Asai
Seems to be a real and gifted artist, because real artists all don’t have money, of course also no money to fill your proposed credit or debit cards. She probably produces real artwork and doesn’t care of selling or producing art for the mass markets or has for other reasons no chance of selling it and therefore can’t live from her art. That’s the tragedy behind that story.
Mark
2,650 yen bill for damn Ramen?!? what was in it? a lobster ?
probably she felt she was getting ripped off of course and decided not to pay, good for her.
JeffLee
2,650 yen seems like a lot for ramen, gyoza and chahan.
Or debit card, which seem to be more common for small payments like at cheap restaurants.
sakurasuki
Does she have any credit card? She can pay with that.
So 70s chasing 49-year-old woman.