Saturday May 26, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Man in underwear swims palace moat 'to meet emperor'

Crime Jan. 22, 2012 - 06:20PM JST ( 54 )

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54 Comments

14

gogogoJan. 22, 2012 - 03:41PM JST

+1 for effort
0

fidaruzkiJan. 22, 2012 - 03:46PM JST

owh my. that's insane.
1

m5c32Jan. 22, 2012 - 03:47PM JST

It was his proof he was unarmed and thus posed little threat.
0

DenTok2009Jan. 22, 2012 - 04:00PM JST

Wish the reporter could've fished for details; such as when the swimmer was spotted. Did the security detail observe him shedding his clothes, swimming in the moat, wandering Imperial Palace grounds or did a someone else alert security that a man clad only in his tighty whities was asking for directions to the emperor's room?
0

DenTok2009Jan. 22, 2012 - 04:02PM JST

aaargh! wish there was an "edit" button after the fact. "moat and wandering around the Imperial Palace grounds or did someone alert security that there was a man..."
0

edojinJan. 22, 2012 - 04:14PM JST

If he did indeed make it to the Palace side of the moat, then that shows a flaw in the security setup. The story doesn't say which side of the moat he made the swim from, but if he did make it all the way he still had to scale security fences around the palace itself. Wonder how far he actually got ... ?? The guy has to be some kind of a nutcase ...
0

LH10Jan. 22, 2012 - 04:18PM JST

lol! wow this is great news! haha i would do the same thing ^o^
7

kaminarioyajiJan. 22, 2012 - 04:35PM JST

police would examine whether he is mentally fit to stand in criminal proceedings

He swam across a moat, near naked, at 4.30am, in water that would have been colder than the 4 degree air temperature, to see the Emperor... And there's a question over whether he is compos mentis?
8

JapanGalJan. 22, 2012 - 04:38PM JST

I wonder what his real MOATive was....
0

some14someJan. 22, 2012 - 04:43PM JST

It was his proof he was unarmed and thus posed little threat.

but nearly 50 years younger than the emperor...threat risk is not little.
5

smithinjapanJan. 22, 2012 - 04:45PM JST

For all that effort why not let him say hello?
0

sayonarajapanJan. 22, 2012 - 04:48PM JST

ahh.......trying to beat the current world record holder for skinny dipping in the moat and defying the keystone cops for over an hour!.Check out :News of crazy naked spanish guy in Japan...on youtube. He was an english expat from spain........see how the cops run!!
0

Johannes WeberJan. 22, 2012 - 04:52PM JST

That is really commitment. Maybe a bit crazy, but the guy was really tough.
-2

sayonarajapanJan. 22, 2012 - 04:57PM JST

Raw Video: Naked Man Swims in Imperial Waters...on youtube. This shows better footage of the cops at their best.
0

edojinJan. 22, 2012 - 05:37PM JST

Sorry, but the Raw Video: Naked Man Swims in Imperial Waters...on youtube ... is an old video of a foreigner who took a dip in the moat. This happened a while back ... Nothing here yet on the new venture ... which would have been made in the early morning hours ... probably still dark at that time ...
0

supermonk7Jan. 22, 2012 - 05:56PM JST

This guy has style.
1

Elbuda MexicanoJan. 22, 2012 - 06:01PM JST

430 am?? Not just crazy but an early bird too??
0

mrkobayashiJan. 22, 2012 - 06:04PM JST

Wasn't there a drunk brit that did something similar some years ago?
0

Elbuda MexicanoJan. 22, 2012 - 06:22PM JST

By the way those moats are filthy!! Thick green moss since that water is stagnant. So this crazy guy was not only freezing but stinky!!
1

darknutsJan. 22, 2012 - 06:37PM JST

I think he learned a lesson from the last guy who did it. Go early so no one will see you. Seriously, this is the second time. The emporer can't be happy. I wonder what they are going to about this?
0

SerranoJan. 22, 2012 - 06:39PM JST

Another nutter.
4

Ranger_Miffy2Jan. 22, 2012 - 07:00PM JST

Best news of the day!
1

buggerlugsJan. 22, 2012 - 07:14PM JST

Sounds like he had already met and had tea with the faries.
-1

plasticmonkeyJan. 22, 2012 - 07:14PM JST

Must be some Jungian archetypal fantasy. Happens all the time. Get naked, swim, meet God.
1

YokotaJan. 22, 2012 - 07:32PM JST

Stay tuned, more to follow...
2

hatsoffJan. 22, 2012 - 08:07PM JST

If he wanted to meet the emperor he could at least have worn a tie. Standards are slipping these days, tsk tsk.
1

Kano AbeJan. 22, 2012 - 08:33PM JST

Or maybe that was part of his "shinobi" training :P
1

KariHarukaJan. 22, 2012 - 08:47PM JST

I wish we could have more details on this..

Bloke is insane but hilarious.
1

WilliBJan. 22, 2012 - 09:50PM JST

Its stories like this that make my day.
2

SpettatoriJan. 22, 2012 - 09:58PM JST

As a taxpayer whose money maintains the palace and royal family, and after going to so much trouble, he should get his audience.
0

catianoJan. 22, 2012 - 09:58PM JST

hahahaha. i like this news... about a guy not having a clear political motive did this tough swimming job, and he ended up being stopped by the security.
1

warnerbroJan. 22, 2012 - 10:04PM JST

You'll have to show more courage than that, mate. The last bloke doffed the full kit, as I recall.
2

PandaboniumJan. 22, 2012 - 10:07PM JST

For all that trouble, he should of chosen to try and see someone important.
2

WolfpackJan. 22, 2012 - 11:28PM JST

The guy just wanted to see the Emperor. It's really too bad that the Japanese people get so little opportunity to visit the Imperial Palace. There should be tours and maybe an opportunity to see the Emperor every know and then as he goes about his business.
0

Andrew MatthewsJan. 23, 2012 - 12:15AM JST

I am sure he can claim he is sane on the basis that only an insane man would have left his clothes on to swim across the moat.
0

Rafael P. GriffithJan. 23, 2012 - 02:07AM JST

that is so freaking insane.dude i mean , there is a lot of way to meet an important person like the emperor or even a president, but still do! that is so freaking insane.
0

pamelotJan. 23, 2012 - 08:32AM JST

The man's clothing was found on the side of a street surrounding the moat, the officer said, adding that police would examine whether he is mentally fit to stand in criminal proceedings.

Is trespassing criminal?
0

noirgaijinJan. 23, 2012 - 09:16AM JST

A better response to the cops would have been;** I thought this was the 50 Meter Freestyle for the Emperor’s Cup.**
0

nisegaijinJan. 23, 2012 - 12:20PM JST

I think we should all join him! this should be the occupy Tokyo movement! All the stressed salary men and OL's strip butt naked and swim the palace moat!
0

mlg4035Jan. 23, 2012 - 12:34PM JST

Did he at least take a nice suit in a plastic bag with him? Hardly becoming to greet the Emperor in wet skivvies...!
0

NessieJan. 23, 2012 - 12:52PM JST

Was the emperor debriefed?
0

LoveNotJan. 23, 2012 - 01:03PM JST

In Thailand people who insult their King will go to prison. Japan is same.
-2

plasticmonkeyJan. 23, 2012 - 03:25PM JST

@Nessie: the emperor is always well briefed.
0

cactusJackJan. 23, 2012 - 03:51PM JST

Ninja in training?
0

nandakandamandaJan. 23, 2012 - 11:12PM JST

Maybe he was wearing Heat-tec underwear.
0

Zach OdleJan. 24, 2012 - 01:47AM JST

lol
0

Ben_JackinoffJan. 24, 2012 - 05:27PM JST

Japan is same.

No, it is not. Japan does not have a king.
0

WilliBJan. 25, 2012 - 01:35AM JST

I still think anyone who swims the moat naked in January at 4:30 in the morning deserves an audience. I hope they pass a law on that.
0

Greapper1Jan. 25, 2012 - 02:47PM JST

How did he scale the wall out of the moat? O_o
0

anglootakuJan. 25, 2012 - 05:16PM JST

A British guy did the same thing and was arrested 2 or 3 years ago
0

anglootakuJan. 25, 2012 - 05:17PM JST

Here is the video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B3AlI_Gync
0

WilliBJan. 25, 2012 - 05:40PM JST

anglootaku:

I don´t think that one wanted to meet the emperor though.
1

Omar HaleemJan. 25, 2012 - 06:21PM JST

Mishima's reincarnation..?
0

anglootakuJan. 25, 2012 - 07:46PM JST

Willb: no actually he did