I’m often asked about how safe Japan is but also get asked a few times if there is graffiti and if it’s as bad as how things are in the US?
Well, graffiti does exist, but not in the same manner in the US that are usually gang affiliated.
While in the US, there are people who do graffiti for the sake of art versus those who do it for pure vandalism, in Japan, graffiti is often found on the security gates of stores that have not opened in the morning.
And you’ll often see them in Shibuya, especially in Harajuku. There is a very informative article from VICE, about how Tokyo has become Asia’s Graffiti capital.
Here are a few photos of the type of graffiti that you will find on the security gates but also some that you may find around certain stores, which I found surprising.
