The YouTuber known by the username Fidias posted a video over the weekend of the four riding trains and buses around Japan – in some cases without paying.
In the video, Fidias hides in a toilet of a bullet train, pretends to be ill when confronted by a ticket collector, and then escapes to board another train where he pulls the same trick.
YouTuber “Fidias” films himself stealing food from a hotel buffet in Japan. Photo: YouTube/@FidiasPanayiotou
YouTuber “Fidias” films himself stealing food from a hotel buffet in Japan. Photo: YouTube/@FidiasPanayiotou
Another clip shows him entering a hotel and pretending to be a guest in order to get free breakfast.
“I just have access to a five-star Japanese buffet. And we’re leaving the hotel without getting caught and without any problem,” he triumphantly tells the camera.
Other parts of the video show the four, one of whom appears to be the YouTuber Night Scape who has 1.7 million followers, begging money from locals to pay for tickets.
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Mayu Iizuka, a virtual YouTuber, preparing for a live-stream in Tokyo. Virtual YouTubers have transformed a niche Japanese subculture into a thriving industry where top accounts can rake in more than US$1 million a year. Photo: AFP
It was unclear when the footage was shot or whether the three men and one woman are still in Japan.
“Another strange, annoying YouTuber from abroad emerged. In addition to this guy Fidias, the three others should be arrested,” one social media user said.
Another said: “surprisingly, comments section to his [online post] is full of applause. [Police] should arrest him to prevent copycat crimes from happening.”
“Fidias” talks to the camera as he is driven to a police station by a bus driver in Japan after refusing to pay the full fare. Photo: YouTube/@FidiasPanayiotou
“Fidias” talks to the camera as he is driven to a police station by a bus driver in Japan after refusing to pay the full fare. Photo: YouTube/@FidiasPanayiotou
Regional train operator JR Kyushu said it was studying the footage before deciding whether to inform the police. “We are aware of the case and investigating facts around it,” a spokesman said.
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Fidias on Tuesday posted an apology on his YouTube channel, saying: “Hello beautiful people. I apologise to the Japanese people if we made them feel bad that was not out goal … from now on I am going to be make more research to the cultures we go to and try to prevent this from happening again.”
The incident came a month after Japanese police arrested a US live-streamer known as Johnny Somali for allegedly trespassing into a construction site.
According to video footage, Ismael Ramsey Khalid, 23, wore a face mask and repeatedly shouted “Fukushima” to construction workers who urged him to exit from the site, police officer Genta Hayashi said, referring to the stricken nuclear power plant.
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US live-streamer Johnny Somali was recently arrested in Japan over a series of online stunts. Photo: Twitter @g_menguts_ch
Another clip shows Khalid, who describes himself as a former child soldier, harassing train passengers with references to the US atomic bombings of Japan in 1945.
Khalid has only 12,500 followers on YouTube and 10,800 on another platform known as Kick, where his account is marked “offline”. Reportedly his Twitch account was taken down.
In 2017, US YouTuber Logan Paul attracted controversy with a video he posted of a dead body in a Japanese “suicide forest” that drew six million views before being taken down.
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Social media users in Japan objected to Logan Paul’s appearance in a novelty hat, while outtakes showing the US internet celebrity laughing and joking about the incident also stirred anger. Photo: YouTube
Incidents of foreigners behaving badly, including by drinking in public and littering, are a regular cause of annoyance in largely law-abiding Japan, not least on Mount Fuji.
The government is working on a package of measures aimed at reducing “overtourism”, reportedly including more expensive train tickets and musical rubbish bins.
“In some areas and during certain periods, there has been an impact on the lives of local residents due to inbound tourists, such as bad manners,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said this month.
