Woman Offers Mugger a Cup of Tea and Conversation

When a Japanese woman was threatened by a mugger in her apartment building, she didn't panic. Instead, she gave him a cup of tea to calm him down.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on July 08 2008

When faced with a mugger carrying a sharp knife, a can of pepper spray or a taser gun may seem like your best methods of defense. A cup of tea could be another option, if you’re considering throwing the hot water in the mugger’s face - but yesterday, a woman from Tokyo, Japan, took a decidedly different tactic: She offered her intruder a cup of tea to calm him down. The real surprise? It actually worked.

When the man pulled a knife on the 30-year-old woman and her 6-month-old daughter in the hallway of her apartment building, he demanded that she hand over her wallet. She told him that she didn’t have any money, and attempted to enter her apartment and shut the door, but he forced his way in behind her.

Amazingly, the young mother kept her wits about her, and calmly invited the mugger to sit down with her for a cup of tea and a conversation. The tea seemed to do the trick: Soon, he had put the knife away and was opening up to her about his problems, telling her how desperately he needed money.

When he asked her for a loan of 10,000 yen ($94), she handed it over, along with her wallet, which contained 30,000 yen ($280). When the mugger was distracted, she grabbed her baby and ran out the door to call the police from the nearest pay phone. By the time she returned to her apartment with a police escort, the man had bolted - along with the money, of course.

Although tea is known to be a great relaxant, the policeman doesn’t give the beverage full credit for the woman’s fortunate escape. “I think she was very lucky,” he told the Associated Press. “The suspect might have eased up because of the baby’s presence. I don’t think serving tea always works with robbers.”

We agree that the Tea Defense may not be the greatest strategy in every case - but maybe it’s worth keeping a bag or two of Earl Grey in your pocket when you go into a sketchy neighborhood at night, just in case. Or, on second thought, just stay out of the shady neighborhoods (and maybe Tokyo apartment buildings, too).

Filed under: General Interest, Weird,

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