I think there are a lot of myths about Japan, but I don't think public safety is one them. In over a decade of living in Japan I've only encountered aggressive

I think there are a lot of myths about Japan, but I don't think public safety is one them. In over a decade of living in Japan I've only encountered aggressive begging/panhandling once. Street violence is very rare, muggings too. One week in London and I'll see more than in 10 years in Japan. Pure anecdote: I was jogging on my regular running route and I saw a wallet on the ground with 5000 yen hanging out of it. It was wet so I picked it up and put on a visible dry spot on a nearby wall. I ran past it the next day and it was still there, same spot, same cash sticking out. Finally on the third day it was gone. Maybe the owner came back for it, maybe it was stolen, maybe it was handed to the police. I don't think visible cash on the street would have lasted so long in most places.