Neighbor Reflects on the Childhood of the “Peekaboo Man” Arrested for the Third Time

This time, he did not intend to obstruct the driver.

Defendant Akihiko Narushima (37), known as the “Hiyokkori Man” for repeatedly engaging in obstructive behavior by riding his bicycle in front of cars, claimed during his trial that this time he had no intention of interfering with traffic.

The Chiba Prefecture Police Kashiwa Station arrested Narushima on May 9, 2024, for obstructing the passage of a car while riding his bicycle. On April 15, he crossed the center line on a road in Kashiwa City, driving into the oncoming lane, and came dangerously close to a passenger car driven by a woman in her 50s, obstructing her path.

From January to May 2024, over 40 reports of dangerous bicycle riding were received in the Kashiwa area. This marks Narushima’s third arrest for dangerous driving.

Narushima was previously arrested in September 2019 for repeatedly swerving his bicycle in front of cars to gain a sense of satisfaction from harassing drivers. He was convicted and received a four-year suspended sentence. During the probation period, he was arrested again for road rage and was sentenced to eight months in prison in May 2021. This second arrest, which applied the new “road rage driving” regulation to bicycles, drew significant attention.

The trial for Narushima began on July 22, 2024, at the Matsudo branch of the Chiba District Court, with his defendant questioning taking place on March 25, 2025.

Despite the boldness of his actions, Narushima, with long hair still showing hints of blonde at the tips, spoke in a quiet, soft voice during his testimony, giving off a demeanor quite different from his reckless behavior. According to his responses to the defense attorney, Narushima was riding on the left side of the road with the Kashiwa police station on his right. When he reached a junction with Route 16, he intended to turn right.

“It’s a habit I can’t break, so there was nothing I could do about it.”

“To take a shortcut to my destination (before hitting Route 16), I moved to the right and drove in the oncoming lane for a few minutes. However, I almost collided with a car, so I returned to my original direction. I had no intention of obstructing the car’s movement.” (Defendant Akihiko Narushima)

In response to the prosecutor’s question, “Wasn’t there an option to drive in the left lane until the intersection signal and then turn right there?” he answered:

Narushima: “I wanted to cover the shortest distance possible, so I drove that way.”

Prosecutor: “Why couldn’t you resist crossing the center line?”

Narushima: “It’s a habit. It’s a habit I can’t fix, so I couldn’t do anything about it. Also, while I think this habit may come up again, I will try not to do it.”

Prosecutor: “Did you know that, before and after this incident, there were reports on the internet and television about people suddenly swerving into oncoming traffic?”

Narushima: “I knew about it. When I saw the reports and posts online, it made me feel bad.”

No matter how many times Narushima is arrested, he continues to engage in dangerous driving. However, when we interviewed local residents, many expressed confusion, saying, “He was such a quiet child when he was little.” Narushima lived in an apartment in Kashiwa City with his parents and older sister, but the apartment has already been demolished and replaced with detached houses.

A woman in her 50s whispered, “His mother abandoned child-rearing at an early stage.”

“Even when he was very small, his mother was addicted to pachinko and was rarely home. Eventually, she got a boyfriend and left the house. His father didn’t go to work, so during the day it was just the children. Occasionally, the mother would drop by with a lunchbox to check on them.

When Narushima was in about the first or second grade of elementary school, there was a hailstorm that broke the window glass of their home. He was patching up the broken window by himself with cardboard and duct tape, so I helped him.”

Another woman, who has a child around Narushima’s age, said she was shocked: “When I heard about his first arrest, I couldn’t connect it to the Aki-chan (Narushima) I knew.”

“Aki-chan (Narushima) was originally very shy. When I walked holding my child’s hand, he would silently follow about two to three meters behind us. At a nearby park, when parents and children were playing catch, he would quietly watch nearby, waiting for someone to invite him to join.

My mother once said that when she tried to take my son to a family restaurant, Aki-chan kept following them, so she asked, ‘Do you want to eat together?’ and treated him. He must have been lonely.

Since he was neglected like that, he eventually fell behind in studies during middle school. Even though classmates tried to teach him, he couldn’t keep up academically. I also heard that he was bullied because his older sister started working at a cabaret club at an early age.”

After his arrest, Narushima stated in court, “I haven’t been in contact with anyone, including my family.”

One of the neighbors said, “Even now, maybe he commits these incidents because he wants someone to pay attention to him,” but it could have easily escalated into a major disaster that couldn’t just be excused as wanting attention.

The sentencing arguments are scheduled for May 13.