Path: ccsf.homeunix.org!ccsf.homeunix.org!news1.wakwak.com!nf1.xephion.ne.jp!onion.ish.org!news.daionet.gr.jp!news.yamada.gr.jp!newsfeed.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp!newshub1.kdd1.nap.home.ne.jp!news.home.ne.jp!news-virt.s-kddi1.home.ne.jp.POSTED!53ab2750!not-for-mail Newsgroups: fj.life.in-japan Subject: Re: Kawaguchi Station: Beware of Police checks on all foreigners not looking Japanese. From: dame_zumari@yahoo.com (Louise Bremner) Reply-To: log.NO.SPAM.HERE@gol.com (Me) Message-ID: <1gaubhz.86cqedcminr6N%dame_zumari@yahoo.com> References: <515ab8e4.0403162302.6580c3f3@posting.google.com> <73fde4f0.0403171035.6e0ec5e@posting.google.com> <1gau4fz.gzub65q543leN%dame_zumari@yahoo.com> Organization: Freelance in Tokyo X-Face: %iNwIvDfZ-j|nw.k;rhu)ez';7*.)\P(4wF4k*;jazI\Hj>j?NDl."86 User-Agent: MacSOUP/2.5 (Mac OS X version 10.3.2) Lines: 42 Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 01:56:04 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 203.165.114.223 X-Complaints-To: abuse@home.ne.jp X-Trace: news-virt.s-kddi1.home.ne.jp 1079574964 203.165.114.223 (Thu, 18 Mar 2004 10:56:04 JST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 10:56:04 JST Xref: ccsf.homeunix.org fj.life.in-japan:12678 wrote: > Louise Bremner wrote: > > Michael Cash wrote: > > >> I think in three trips to Japan, I have been asked for my card > >> precisely one time...and even that is only a very very vague > >> recollection. So vague that I'm not even sure it actually happened. > > > As it happened, we did have our cards with us and I would have forgotten > > about the experience except that I thought it'd be something vaguely > > interesting to mention at Japanese school the next day. Oh boy was it > > interesting--most of the other students were asian and had some horrific > > first- and second-hand tales to tell of being held for long periods by > > police for not having their ARCs with them. > > > Elbow was lucky. > > No, he probably just didn't do the right thing. > > (Of course, the following doesn't apply if you don't speak Japanese, > but...) > > I've been stopped twice, once in Shibuya on my way to work, and once in > Sapporo. I think of my four times without the card (including trips to > the corner 7-11 for ice cream), they got me half the time. Both times, > it took about 2-3 minutes of me apologizing, telling them the card was > back in my apartment in Inogashira, and if there was any information > they needed, I'd be more than happy to supply it. In return, I got > a mild admonition, compliments on my Japanese, and some pro-forma > questions concerning what I thought of Japan. Yup. But it's possible you skipped over a key word in my post? > > They never even told me to make sure I carry it at all times. ________________________________________________________________________ Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com) If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!