That Time I Was Stopped by the Cops...

I wanted to include this in the medical check account since it was the same day, but it didn't fit.

I said with the medical checks that they are done in conference halls, and that you are assigned one of two locations (or can pick from two if you reschedule). I said it was another inconvenience, but I didn't really highlight how inconvenient it was for me, or most people. See, one office building is located in Itabashi, outside of Shinjuku. That's an hour away. The other was in Omiya, located in Saitama Prefecture (the one I live in) but opposite of where I live and with no trains to connect them. That puts it at an hour and a half away.

I went with Itabashi because it was near Shinjuku, and I more or less know how to navigate that area. I hadn't been to the area in a few weeks, because I've been staying at my apartment to study and relax for the FSOT, so it was sort of nice to go back that way.

I had to change stations at Takadanobaba, the place where I would go ice skating (haven't been in a couple of months). It was in Takadanobaba that I got stopped by the police.

I can't remember if I mentioned koban here before, but koban are like miniature police stations. They're all over the place. There is always one near a station. I was passing the koban at Takadanobaba Station when I heard urgent voices, understanding enough that I was being told to stop/wait.

One of the officers comes out, and started asking questions. The officer still in the koban was acting a bit shifty, and there were other people around him. My guess is he was getting hammered with questions too. It just added to this kind of tense environment that I was pulled into.

The officer questioning me was being too urgent about it, and I think he was starting to pick up that I was having trouble with his speaking, because I distinctly heard "where" at some point. And, at that point, I lifted my sunglasses to show him my face better. The--hilarious--reaction just ended up being this look of dread with a small "oh".

I had to say three different ways that I was American. First, I said US. Apparently, people in Japan are unfamiliar with the term. And, unfamiliar with United States. The third try was just "America" and that was understood. The officer tried to ask me something else, and kept drawing a box with his hands. At that point, I just pulled out my medical packet so that he knew I had to be somewhere and had no involvement in whatever it was going on. My guess it someone lost a bag or ID, and they were wondering if it was someone I knew.

So, that was my brief run-in with the law. What was really funny was I was curious about the sunglasses thing, so yesterday I had the opportunity to test it out again. On my way to work, a college girl advertising for the station mall jumped--literally--in front of me, and started talking a mile a minute. She tried to hand me the coupons, or info on a credit card, or whatever it was. I took off my sunglasses, and she just went "oh...sorry" and backed off.

My (work required) makeup hides the red tones in my skin, so I guess without that red and with my eyes hidden, people assume I'm Japanese. But, when the population is 90+% Japanese I guess that's a natural assumption. I'm very amused by it.