A woman who shared the everyday precautions she takes just to feel safe in Japan has left viewers baffled.
The TikToker named momoncha_jp shared a video with a “what not to do” list for women living alone in the East Asian country.
Several viewers were shocked by the video, saying, “No woman should go through this hell…”
A woman who shared the everyday precautions she takes just to feel safe in Japan has left viewers baffled
Highlights
- A TikToker named momoncha_jp shared a “what not to do” list for women living alone in Japan.
- “If you’re a woman living alone in Japan, DON’T do this,” read the title of her video.
- Viewers were baffled by some of the suggestions she offered to women.
- Many pointed out the patriarchy in Japanese society as well.
Image credits: momoncha_jp/TikTok
“Sharing the real Japan,” reads the bio of Japanese influencer, momoncha_jp, who has 143K followers on Instagram and 35.5K followers on TikTok, keeping up with her everyday, relatable content of living solo in the country.
One of her videos recently found its way to Reddit, giving viewers a glimpse of the lengths she goes to in order to protect herself while living alone.
Image credits: momoncha_jp/TikTok
“If you’re a woman living alone in Japan, DON’T do this,” read the title of her video.
The list kicked off with “buying only ice cream at the convenience store near my place.”
She suggested buying “some other things” as well to be safer, possibly because buying only a single portion of ice cream could suggest they are home alone.
On the other hand, buying several items together would look less predictable and suggest that they are shopping for the household.
Image credits: momoncha_jp/TikTok
Next on her don’t-do-this list was “the act of throwing the cardboard away.”
“Always remove and discard any cardboard that contains personal information,” she suggested, showing a clip of herself ripping off a sticker from a delivery box containing details about her.
“Receiving an Uber Eats order in person” was also something she avoided in her solo-living lifestyle.
“Let’s always select ‘leave at the door,’” she said.
“Being alone in my apartment building’s elevator with a stranger” was also a no-no on her list
Image credits: momoncha_jp/TikTok
The content creator also had some advise on elevator rides.
“Being alone in my apartment building’s elevator with a stranger” was also a no-no.
“If it looks like we’ll be alone, I’ll let them go first,” she said.
The TikToker concluded with advise on how to throw away lingerie.
Image credits: momoncha_jp/TikTok
Don’t “throw away underwear in a bag,” she warned.
“Cut it up before throwing it away so it’s unrecognizable,” she added.
“No woman should go through this hell…” baffled viewers commented on her video
Her video sparked a widespread discussion online, with many giving their hot take on Japan.
“They tell you not to hang your underwear out to dry in Japan because pervs come by and steal it in the city,” one Reddit user said. “There’s a huge misogyny and harassment problem in Japan (and everywhere) but the men are much bolder there because of the assumption you should not cause a scene and be polite is assumed.”
“I’ve heard of people going into the street vents to take up skirt shots too. She has every right to be worried,” they added.
Image credits: natalisi_/TikTok
Another wrote, “I always find it funny that Japan is held up as some sort of utopia … they're just as se**st and racist as any other culture. And that's just the tip of the ice burg [sic].”
Last year, a woman named Natalisi Taksisi went viral after sharing a horror story from her solo traveling experience in Japan.
Image credits: natalisi_/TikTok
She said she landed in Japan, thinking it was a “very safe country.” But on day 2 of her trip in Tokyo, she returned to her room at the APA Hotel & Resort and noticed a “weird smell” coming from under her bed.
“At first, I thought it was coming from my hair or the bed sheets, but then I realized it was coming from under the bed,” the model said in a video narrating the incident.
“When I leaned over to check, I saw a pair of eyes staring at me,” she continued. “I saw a man under my bed, and I started to scream and jumped to my feet.”
Natalisi Taksisi went viral last year for sharing how she found a man under her bed while solo traveling in Japan
The horrified guest saw a stranger emerge from underneath the bed and stare at her for a few seconds.
Luckily, Natalisi managed to alert the hotel staff, but they had no answer for how a stranger managed to get insider her room.
“They suggested upfront that police wouldn’t find the intruder because they have no cameras,” the horrified guest said.
Natalisi said she moved to another hotel after the incident, but the rest of her trip was a “nightmare.”
She said she couldn’t sleep and was constantly on edge, checking every corner of her room.
“I’m left wondering how someone could get into my room, how someone knew that I was alone in my room,” she added.
Like most parts of the world, Japan also sees frequent instances of violence against women. But cases of harassment, stalking, and being inappropriately touched in public spaces are often underreported.
“There's still a prevalent attitude of ‘Shoganai’ or ‘there's nothing you can do’ that is being projected on women - so they're encouraged to keep silent,” Machiko Osawa, professor emeritus at Japan Women’s University in Tokyo, told the BBC last year.
She said most women go about their lives, convinced that they do not have the right means to report such instances to law enforcement authorities.
A 2024 study published in the International Journal of Asian Studies revealed that out of every 1,000 rap*s in Japan, only 10–20 end with a criminal conviction, and fewer than half of convicted rap*sts are actually put in jail.
The results of a 2020 survey also revealed that 70% of s**ual as**ults in the country are unreported.
Women in Japan are still seen as “caretakers” and men are seen as the “breadwinners,” an expert said
Image credits: Phushutter/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
Keiko Kojima, who worked in Japan's media industry for 15 years as a TV presenter, said women in her field stay silent out of fear of losing their jobs.
Sharing experiences from her own workplace, Keiko said, “It was common for men to make rude comments about women's bodies or appearance or age. I remember my colleagues and I being asked how many people we've had s** with.”
The safety of women in Japan’s media industry was thrust in the spotlight after Masahiro Nakai, chairman and president of Japan’s biggest network Fuji TV, was accused of s**ual misconduct.
The controversy forced him to resign last year in the wake of a woman accusing him of as**ulting her at a 2023 dinner party.
Image credits: leungchopan/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
“The s**ual violence never stops,” said Minori Kitahara, one of the founders of Japan’s Flower Demo movement, where survivors of s**ual violence and supporters gather in public spaces on the 11th of every month.
“I hope for the day when I will never have to go to a Flower Demo protest again,” she added.
Professor Machiko told the outlet last year that Japan has a long way to go because women are still seen as “caretakers” and men are seen as the “breadwinners.”
“This is an important time… But it's unclear how far attitudes will change,” she said about the patriarchal society.
Netizens had plenty to say about TikToker momoncha_jp’s solo lifestyle in Japan
