I just have to ask.

[Niff]

What is with all the nigerians trying to usher you into a shop, dark alleyway, strip club, or generally offer you bogus deals in Tokyo? Never saw them anywhere else, just outside Ueno station by the market underneath the railroad tracks, Harajuku, and Roppongi. I saw these guys everywhere in those places, and they don't go anywhere near Japanese people - just gaijin.

They only tried it on our school group once.. I was with two friends and we were walking down one of the numerous marketplace streets, and we see a line of nigerians on the side of the street. Bear in mind we're from New Zealand, talking loud and obnoxiously compared to 99% of Japanese people. So one of the nigerians comes up to us..

Nigerian guy: "You guys are from Australia, right? I am too!"
Me: "No mate, New Zealand."
Nigerian guy: "Oh, right, New Zealand. That's what I meant. That's where I'm from." (keep in mind.. blatant American accent)
*group stares at eachother*
Nigerian guy: Anyway, come into our shop! It's 50% off everything today and today only.
Other guy in group: Righto, show us the way then. What is it you sell?
Nigerian guy: Uhh, clothes, and stuff.

So we nonchalantly walk down the street for about 5 metres, expecting to be taken to one of the big stores on the side of the street, but he starts heading towards a dark alleyway. We get to the entrance of it, and the nigerian dude nods to another nigerian guy in the alleyway - and he nods back. This sent all of our spidey senses tingling and we stopped dead in our tracks. A few jabs in the side later my friend who originally agreed to follow him told him we have to meet somebody in 10 minutes, and we walked as fast as possible in the opposite direction.

Now seriously, what are these people trying to pull? Were they honestly trying to get us to shops, in a dark alleyway, with shady friends in a corner?

Also, is this some kind of fad in Tokyo? What kind of profits do these people actually make.. if it is a proper job in the first place? I honestly want to know what the deal is with those guys. It's the only thing, believe it or not, that has totally bamboozled the fuck out of me about Japan.

[Crowley]

I think they make 100% profits from dead tourists, what do you think?

[ezk]

well, I kinda heard that mugging gives you a rather decent profit on time invested...

[Masa the Masta]

Just tell them you're a male impersonator in your free time. That's where you get your money.

[Sbabbari]

Yeah this happens to me in Roppongi a lot. I talk to the guys and so far i've been freaked out by Nigerians, Ghanans (?), and Senegalese. The other night I thought I was being hustled into a bar which turned out to be a reeaally seedy strip club (or was it- the guy asked in a heavy Ghanan accent "you want to see or you want to f**k?" :P)

[Masa the Masta]

Just pretend you talk in a different language.

"No se de lo que estas hablando. Me voy."

**Walks.**

Unless the nigerians can immediately pull out the Spanish language out of their ass thereafter, then I'm stumped.

[CrazyAce86]

^
I actually understand that sentence. That kind of scares me.

Doesn't every city pretty much have these kind of folks? I saw some of them in San Juan, but they weren't creepy, just annoying. If you walked away, they left you alone. You were more likely to be bitched out by regular people. It's amazing how many ways you can use the word "gringo". :yes:

At least I know to avoid places / people like that if I ever go to Japan. (Though, knowing my luck, they'd find me anyhow.)

[stsparky]

Just say 'not interested' — or say 'sorry - no cash' - Sparks

[kitsunepixie]

If you're a girl, then they say "Waz up" like they're trying to be American, and sometimes they start FOLLOWING you. *shudders*

[koku]

lol hahaha. That's got to be annoying.

[jindojim]

Ugh, those Nigerians annoy me to no end. They pretend to be your friend by playing up to the fact that you're both foreigners. And they're trained to really listen for any usage of English too. Like they'll say "What's up my American brother" and try to pass off as African American. But they're clearly not. And they won't leave you alone either once they've got your attention.

It's best to just not even talk to them or look at them.

[Frankey-eh]

lol hahaha. That's got to be annoying.

annoying won't be the word I use in this situation...

I'll probably be running my fastest mile then.

[captain murph]

If you're a girl, then they say "Waz up" like they're trying to be American, and sometimes they start FOLLOWING you. *shudders*

Jeeze.

Man, I'd hate to be woman in Japan.

I see this *every* day in my neighborhood:
You've got the aggressive karaoke guys on the street.
Worse are all the thuggy guys recruiting for hostess clubs and AV...
And then you've got actual "normal" guys who will chase a girl for a whole block trying to hit on her!

It'd be almost comical if it didn't want to make me cry.

[羽之助]

I was walking in Osaka (near the Don Quixote, actually) with my friends and the Japanese girl we know who lived close by and was showing us around. As we walked down the alley, a girl in front of us was accosted by a sex club guy (super poofy blonde dyed hair), asking her to work or come in for an interview. I joked 'Wow, hope that doesn't happen to you'.
Our friend said, 'Oh, it happened to me yesterday on my way home'.
I think karate/judou and aggressiveness training should be mandatory for all Japanese women.

[captain murph]

I think karate/judou and aggressiveness training should be mandatory for all Japanese women.

Yeah, no kidding. The women I see in these situations always seem very very timid.

In my boxing gym there are a fair number of women, some who are quite good. I keep hoping that that one of them will have a run in with one of these fellas, teach him a lesson, and put the fear of god in all of them...

[Kusoyaro]

I aspire to be one of those hecklers.
That will be my part-time job.
"Yo, isn't that teacher?!"
"Holy fuck, it is, what the hell is he doing standing in fron of our strip joint?!"
Me>"Yo! You guys, you wann-oh fuck" *runs away*

[h2orowe]

This reminds me of that Chappele show skit, where he was like in the internet, if it were in real life, and that guy who was trying to sell him penis pills... yeah...
"It's meeeee buddy!"

[touche]

strip clubs are bad for your health, don't you read the signs?

[チェス]

Just pretend that you think they're male prostitutes. That should get them to back off pretty quickly. If it doesn't... You just bought yourself a male prostitute! :D