So, to play it safe, I didn't go to Kabukicho the following week. I still went to Shinjuku, but stuck to the main part of the city. I made a plan to hit up the restaurant June 3rd to get pictures. I sent an order to the kid in Hokkaido to report me as missing if I didn't contact him by 1am, and went off.
Quick aside: When we left that restaurant, we came to an unspoken agreement that this was a secret.
Now, I didn't want to get this kid wrapped up in things further, but no one answered the call to go to dinner. If I was wandering in there alone, I needed someone to know where I was and it only made sense to tell the guy who was in on it too.
I don't go to Shinjuku until I'm getting ready to head home. So, for the day I went to Yokohama. I took pictures of things. Took some video. It was horribly hot, so I wasn't there long. But, long enough for my phone to rapidly drain.
I hit Ikebukuro instead of Shinjuku to go home. Sent the kid a text telling him it was off for the week so he wouldn't worry. This was the first time I hadn't gone to Shinjuku since arriving in Japan. It was a weird feeling.
I planned out a strategy for the 10th.
I put out an offer to go to Nakano, and got a taker. I also set up skating in Takadanobaba. This set me up with two possible "backups".
Naturally, not everyone gets along. I met up in Nakano with one guy before skating. I invited him to come along, but he can't stand the guy I was going to skate with, That was a blimp since he did want to go to Shinjuku that night.
I figured out arrangements. Skate for an hour, cut the second guy off since it wasn't known if he wanted to go to Shinjuku, and meet up with the first guy again. But, of course, things don't work out that smoothly. My original plan was to bum around, and take him to dinner around 9:30. Things had to change for two reasons: first, we were meeting up with a girl from our training group, and second, Aladdin was showing. Both wanted to watch the movie. I agreed, but with no earlier showing available (you have to reserve your tickets for movies here) this put our end time after 11. The restaurant would be closed.
I was carrying my skates and a stuffed Pikachu. I asked the guy to hold my things while I went to check on something. But, this didn't work. With easily 20 minutes+ until our co-worker arrived, he decided to come along, and asked many questions about where I was going.
We'd eaten not long ago, so when we stopped outside the restaurant, naturally, he was confused. He started up the questions--or never stopped them. I told him that we weren't eating. I then told him that I needed him to stop asking questions, and do what I tell him.
The plan was easy. We go inside, ask to see a menu, and he pretends to read it while I get pictures and videos. Two snags: this guy wouldn't stop asking questions, muttering the entire time, and it was too early. The restaurant only recently re-opened for the dinner hours. There were no waitress on staff.
I hand the menu back, and thank the waiter. We leave, and before we're even out of the restaurant completely, the questions start back up. I wait until we're out of ear-shot to answer: "This is a front for human trafficking. No one can know." Saying he looked shocked is an understatement.
I briefly told what had happened as we walked back to the theater. I explained that Monday morning I spent emailing charities and gathering information on organizations to get more attention focused on the area. I do at least a walk through the Kabukicho area, but don't stop in anywhere. I explained our co-worker knew, and that I have had to give the "if I disappear" order to him. I re-stressed no one can know right before we called out to our co-worker and went into the theater together.
The week after, I walked through Kabukicho and had a man watch me too carefully near the restaurant. Most likely it was nothing, but I'm skipping the area for the next couple of weeks just to play it safe.
There are two outcomes for the end of this that I see as the best. The first is that patrols break up the ring, or significantly damage it. The second, all this is nothing more than a horrible misunderstanding.
I've never wanted to be wrong so bad.
I figured out arrangements. Skate for an hour, cut the second guy off since it wasn't known if he wanted to go to Shinjuku, and meet up with the first guy again. But, of course, things don't work out that smoothly. My original plan was to bum around, and take him to dinner around 9:30. Things had to change for two reasons: first, we were meeting up with a girl from our training group, and second, Aladdin was showing. Both wanted to watch the movie. I agreed, but with no earlier showing available (you have to reserve your tickets for movies here) this put our end time after 11. The restaurant would be closed.
I was carrying my skates and a stuffed Pikachu. I asked the guy to hold my things while I went to check on something. But, this didn't work. With easily 20 minutes+ until our co-worker arrived, he decided to come along, and asked many questions about where I was going.
We'd eaten not long ago, so when we stopped outside the restaurant, naturally, he was confused. He started up the questions--or never stopped them. I told him that we weren't eating. I then told him that I needed him to stop asking questions, and do what I tell him.
The plan was easy. We go inside, ask to see a menu, and he pretends to read it while I get pictures and videos. Two snags: this guy wouldn't stop asking questions, muttering the entire time, and it was too early. The restaurant only recently re-opened for the dinner hours. There were no waitress on staff.
I hand the menu back, and thank the waiter. We leave, and before we're even out of the restaurant completely, the questions start back up. I wait until we're out of ear-shot to answer: "This is a front for human trafficking. No one can know." Saying he looked shocked is an understatement.
I briefly told what had happened as we walked back to the theater. I explained that Monday morning I spent emailing charities and gathering information on organizations to get more attention focused on the area. I do at least a walk through the Kabukicho area, but don't stop in anywhere. I explained our co-worker knew, and that I have had to give the "if I disappear" order to him. I re-stressed no one can know right before we called out to our co-worker and went into the theater together.
The week after, I walked through Kabukicho and had a man watch me too carefully near the restaurant. Most likely it was nothing, but I'm skipping the area for the next couple of weeks just to play it safe.
There are two outcomes for the end of this that I see as the best. The first is that patrols break up the ring, or significantly damage it. The second, all this is nothing more than a horrible misunderstanding.
I've never wanted to be wrong so bad.
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