<figure id="attachment_367002" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-367002" style="width: 2047px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8ecb9a8b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/39d17315f7b498e8f5d1dbd9b0e82beb.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-367002" class="wp-caption-text">We spotted Peter Aerts walking at a brisk pace through the Shinagawa Station building with a familiar look on his face!</figcaption></figure>
<p> On a night in early March, Peter Aerts, 53, a former K-1 fighter and three-time champion, emerged alone from the Shinkansen ticket gate at Shinagawa Station.</p>
<p> Aerts walked briskly through the station building, looking rather hurried, and headed in a straight line to his destination, an establishment.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> Aerts is a kickboxer from the Netherlands who has competed in K-1 since its inception and was dubbed the &#8220;Four Heavenly Kings of K-1&#8221; along with Andy Hug, Ernesto Horst, and Mike Bernardo. Among them, Aerts stood out for his strength and was one of the most beloved K-1 fighters among fans, with many nicknames such as &#8220;the strongest child of the 20th century&#8221; and &#8220;the last tyrant of the 20th century&#8221; (editor of a martial arts magazine).</span></p>
<p> After his last fight in 2008, Aerts practically retired as a fighter. He has been in Japan frequently since then, and has been living in Shinagawa, Tokyo, for the past year, traveling back and forth between Europe and Japan,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> On social networking sites, people have been asking, &#8220;Was that Peter Aerts you saw on the Yamanote Line who got off at Shinagawa?</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I was surprised to see Peter Aarts walking so normally.</span></p>
<p> There were many sightings in the Shinagawa area, such as &#8220;I was surprised to see Peter Aarts walking so normally. On this day, most of the men who passed him walking in the commercial facilities noticed his presence and looked at him with a surprised expression on their faces, but also with a smile on their faces as they watched his back. Once, in an interview with a sports newspaper,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He said, &#8220;Japanese people are all kind and have respect for me. Above all, I like them because they are safe and their food is beautiful and the best in the world.</span></p>
<p> Arts said. He seems to have already adjusted to life in Japan, bowing his head like a Japanese when exchanging business cards and visiting an orphanage on his days off to meet the children there.</p>
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<p> This year, he launched a new organization called &#8220;LEGEND,&#8221; which he produces himself, and the first event was held on March 24. The day may soon come when we see Aerts sitting side by side with businessmen on their way home from work at a food stall in the Shinagawa area.</p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Peter Artz walking quickly through the Shinagawa Station Building."></div>
<figure id="attachment_367003" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-367003" style="width: 1501px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="0c30cf28"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/25f8508531e4ba12e5e9955e7ed2b2f6.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-367003" class="wp-caption-text">The women didn&#8217;t notice, but all the men were looking back</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_367006" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-367006" style="width: 1400px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="417a2c6f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/213d6f73afc4a98de679662628ccdb26.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-367006" class="wp-caption-text"> No different from a Japanese uncle&#8230; Peter Aerts and Bob Sapp sharing a drink at an izakaya (from his Instagram @peteraertsofficial)</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_367007" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-367007" style="width: 1406px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f56f73e5"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/7af25e709737c1e6b1bf703d2535ae52.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-367007" class="wp-caption-text"> Two legends&#8230;&#8230;Hiaki Maeda (left) and Peter Aerts (right) (from his Instagram @peteraertsofficial)</figcaption></figure>


 It was in early March that I spotted former K-1 fighter Peter Aerts. Aerts looked detached and was walking around in a commercial building. In fact, he has been living in Shinagawa for about a year and loves Japan. The reason for his love of Japan is that "it is safer than anything else..." He said.

Former K-1 fighter Peter Aerts, who used to live in Shinagawa, is now a familiar face in the city.

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