Takeshi Itai, a Japanese tourist attending the World Cup in Brazil, was visiting a slum, or favela, in the eastern region of Salvador when five men brandishing guns approached his taxi.
Luckily for Itai, a 34-year-old from Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, the taxi was able to drive away before a robbery could take place.
"I'll never go into a favela again. I never imagined I would have guns pulled on me," he said, recalling the incident that occurred on June 11, a day before the opening of the World Cup, in one of the regions of Brazil known for its high crime rate.