Tokyo...
Tokyo has been eventful to say the least...
Firstly on the day Shingo left.. i was supposed to walk to Shinjuku from korean town... but ended up lost and wondering the little dingy back streets... finally found some weird station called Nakano sakaue... i took the marunochi like to ginza that day and spent more time there...since i was already lost..
Today.. was even better.. went to Akihabara and was walking around as usual.. it was so crowded that i decided to step out to the side of the road and take a rest from all the hustle.. Suddenly.. this guy approached me from the back and asked to see my ID... i was like what?? He then flashed his badge and i realised he was a cop... his friend was kinda sitting on the railing next to me..
What proceeded to happen took 4hours to resolve...i'll try to summarise it..
He asked what was this thing in my pocket.. i pulled it out.. it was a pocket knife... he said what is this for.. i said for opening packages and stuff.. then he kinda realised i was a gaijin..he asked if i carried this all the time.. i said yes...then another whole barrage of questions like.. where are you from.. when you came to japan.. etc etc etc... He wanted to see my passport..i didnt have it.. left it at shingos.. (i felt that if i got mugged in japan.. at least they wouldnt have my passport..and i could still go home) ..but apparently.. the cop guys wanted to see it.. so... they took me to the police station... put me in the interrogation room... some guy that looked really tough tried to talk japanese to me really loudly and firecely.. i thought.. (louder and firecer wont make me understand you better)... but its a good thing i didn't say it..i just smiled and tried my best to be polite and listen and co-operate...its a good thing i've been through this kinda crap b4 in my younger days coming from that crappy school.. so blah blah blah.. we finally ended up talking nicely.. which is great... same questions were asked... blah blah blah... so..after all that they drove me back here to mizonokuchi to get my stuff... and then went back to the station.. this drive alone took 2 hours!!! At the station they took my particulars.. blood type.. height.. feet size.. where i stayed (which is shingos place.. sorry shingo) and asked for the name of my friend whos place i was staying at..(sorry again shingo)..They photostated my passport, tickets and the "weapon" i was carrying.. and wrote some kinda report... they then returned my knife and told me that it was illegal in japan to carry such things...i told them i didnt know.. and i carry it with me always only because it was a present from my dad that had already passed on. They said ok.. i said i wont wear it in japan anymore. We ended on a light hearted note..some people were laughing.. the 2 cops that first brought me to the station dropped me off at Akihabara again...they laughed and were really nice.. we said goodbye..
Of the 126milllion people in japan.. they had to pick me today...what are the odds?? i:m just worried that this might affect the visa... but i'll be praying that it won't..just thought i'd let you guys know.
p.s. Thanks Joan.. for that kidnapping comment.. damn sauy siao la you..:D
Firstly on the day Shingo left.. i was supposed to walk to Shinjuku from korean town... but ended up lost and wondering the little dingy back streets... finally found some weird station called Nakano sakaue... i took the marunochi like to ginza that day and spent more time there...since i was already lost..
Today.. was even better.. went to Akihabara and was walking around as usual.. it was so crowded that i decided to step out to the side of the road and take a rest from all the hustle.. Suddenly.. this guy approached me from the back and asked to see my ID... i was like what?? He then flashed his badge and i realised he was a cop... his friend was kinda sitting on the railing next to me..
What proceeded to happen took 4hours to resolve...i'll try to summarise it..
He asked what was this thing in my pocket.. i pulled it out.. it was a pocket knife... he said what is this for.. i said for opening packages and stuff.. then he kinda realised i was a gaijin..he asked if i carried this all the time.. i said yes...then another whole barrage of questions like.. where are you from.. when you came to japan.. etc etc etc... He wanted to see my passport..i didnt have it.. left it at shingos.. (i felt that if i got mugged in japan.. at least they wouldnt have my passport..and i could still go home) ..but apparently.. the cop guys wanted to see it.. so... they took me to the police station... put me in the interrogation room... some guy that looked really tough tried to talk japanese to me really loudly and firecely.. i thought.. (louder and firecer wont make me understand you better)... but its a good thing i didn't say it..i just smiled and tried my best to be polite and listen and co-operate...its a good thing i've been through this kinda crap b4 in my younger days coming from that crappy school.. so blah blah blah.. we finally ended up talking nicely.. which is great... same questions were asked... blah blah blah... so..after all that they drove me back here to mizonokuchi to get my stuff... and then went back to the station.. this drive alone took 2 hours!!! At the station they took my particulars.. blood type.. height.. feet size.. where i stayed (which is shingos place.. sorry shingo) and asked for the name of my friend whos place i was staying at..(sorry again shingo)..They photostated my passport, tickets and the "weapon" i was carrying.. and wrote some kinda report... they then returned my knife and told me that it was illegal in japan to carry such things...i told them i didnt know.. and i carry it with me always only because it was a present from my dad that had already passed on. They said ok.. i said i wont wear it in japan anymore. We ended on a light hearted note..some people were laughing.. the 2 cops that first brought me to the station dropped me off at Akihabara again...they laughed and were really nice.. we said goodbye..
Of the 126milllion people in japan.. they had to pick me today...what are the odds?? i:m just worried that this might affect the visa... but i'll be praying that it won't..just thought i'd let you guys know.
p.s. Thanks Joan.. for that kidnapping comment.. damn sauy siao la you..:D
posted by RanmaSatome at 11:49 p.m.
2 Comments:
Cool cop story. But I think my brush with the law was funnier. We were test driving a 2005 Mustang covertible in a carpark filled with police cars at the Niagara Falls. Yes, one of them got us.
Justin you champion you.... :)
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