Bald, naked man swims in Imperial moat
Tuesday, 07 Oct 2008 13:29
A bald, naked Spanish tourist has been arrested are swimming in the moat surrounding the Imperial Palace - home to Japan's emperor and empress - in Tokyo.
Japanese police watched in disbelief as the man climbed the palace wall, through rocks and splashed water before finally being taken into custody.
Local television footage shows the man entering the water several times, avoiding waiting police, as well as charging the ranked officers with a plastic construction site poll.
At one point the man also scaled an eight metre wall, in moments reminiscent of Spiderman.
"I've never heard of anyone doing such a thing," an unidentified man at the scene told TV Tokyo. "He must be a bit crazy."
"We are checking on his mental condition now," a police spokesman confirmed to the same station.
The incident took place 400 meters to the west of Tokyo Station, in the city's Chiyoda ward. The palace, at the centre of Tokyo, is surrounded by 12 moats running to a total of four miles.
Chris O'Toole