On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 09:12:45 +0900, "kuri" <cc@dotmel.cam> brought
down from the Mount tablets inscribed:

>
>"Michael Cash" <mikecash@buggerallspammers.com> wrote in message
>
>> >> > I have discovered that the chief advantage to not removing shoes
>> >> > indoors is that one generally needn't worry about one's footwear
>being
>> >> > stolen while it is attached to one's feet.
>
>I come from a place where they are able to steal shoes you're wearing and
>well, that's not that bad because there are countries where they'd cut your
>feet to get them quicker.
>
>> Actually, I should have put them in my locker. I put them in the
>> plastic bag provided at the entrance and just left them atop the
>> lockers.
>
>At my local pool, you could be sure that your bag has been taken to the
>wasuremono basket by the cleaning staff. When they get bored, they even pick
>up towels that hang outside the shower door while you're washing.

After thoroughly checking the locker room myself, I asked the staff if
they had picked them up as wasuremono. They hadn't. They also did a
thorough search of the locker room.
>
>> What I *suspect* happened to them is that a mentally challenged fellow
>> who was there with a teacher from the home/school/whatever
>> accidentally grabbed them up, tossed them in a bag, and took them by
>> mistake. If this is the case, then I suppose the shoes will have been
>> noticed and possibly returned to the pool by now.
>
>Complicated story. What about a simple itazura ? Japanese humour is not
>always very funny.

I don't suspect itazura at all. And given the size and condition of
the shoes, I don't suspect intentional theft either.

More likely is that the mentally challenged young man and his escort
had lockers near mine and in the course of changing clothes when
leaving one or the other of them mistakenly grabbed up the bag with my
shoes in it and tossed it into a bag with their wet swimsuits and
towels.

. 


>A friend had a neighbour that would steal clothes and underwear drying on
>her balcony, them he'd put them back a few days later. I've heard there were
>many foot fetichists in Japan. Anyway I hope you'll get your shoes back.

I was on the point of tossing them anyway, so it wasn't a horrible
loss or anything. I just thought it was an amusing situation to be in.
If the parking lot hadn't been gravel, I probably would have just gone
home barefoot without even mentioning it to the staff.





--

Michael Cash

"Clowns to the left of me and jokers to the right, Mr. Cash.
Clowns and jokers."

                                Prof. Ernest T. Bass
                                Mount Pilot College