Feeling safe
Every weekday morn the politician I mentioned before stood at the entrance of the train station. He's welcoming the newly arrived and bidding goodbye to the departing ones. Very unique since I haven't been aware of similar acts in all of my more than 20 yrs of life here in Japan. More so because he has nobody around him in terms of personal assistants or bodyguards. In my home country any politician even one in the lowest rung has to have some sort of bodyguards. Just one of the amazing things I find here in Japan. And I shld not forget to mention that he's a looker too though quite chubby. At times I saw him exchanging opinions with the locals in different age brackets and gender. Simply amazing Japan!
Comments (9)
When I was a little boy traveling through South America my mom used to point to the police carrying sub machine guns, or blocking the streets off near their Presidential Palace and say, see this is why we call them Banana Boat countries. Unstable governments maintained only with machine guns. Our police don't need or have those, and any person can walk into our White House and take a tour and maybe even meet with or talk with our President. <LoL, that was before the paranoia of Nixon.> These days almost every single American police department has a few machine guns (and armored vehicles too) and at any major event in Washington, DC or New York it isn't unusual to see a few policemen standing around with a sub-machine gun (or the AR equivalent). Indeed tours at the White House are no longer an automatic thing. Gone are the days when anyone could go there and just say I would like to take a tour and be told that line over there, next tour in 15 minutes. Now you have to buy tickets and go through a screening, show ID, metal detectors, maybe a brief interview if the name on your ID attracts a computers interest. It used to be, no one cared who you were, you just took the tour while a cute 18 - 20 year old intern led it around and told you what each room was for.
Just like long ago in those South American Banana Boat countries the streets around our Presidential Palace are now mostly blocked off and if you look around (but don't stand there too long or they will take you in for questioning) you may see some of the Palace guards carrying their little machine guns with them.
The change is so sad. Even sadder is how few realize the implications of the change.
An ex-boyfriend of mine worked in Tokyo during the mid 80's for many years and was always amazed by the culture and tradition of the Japanese, in a good way
@Candy, I've worked with some South African men in a certain factory in Gifu. All of them are highly educated and one was even famous in his own country. I just never know how bad was the situation over there until you've listed some. But I do felt for them when I was still there.
@Ken, in the early 80's, I used to teach in a private, co-ed sectarian school. One of my girl students was the girlfriend of the son of a minister of ex Pres Marcos. You just could tell if he's visiting her. There were so many plain clothes men around, not just 3. Actually they aren't plain as you might consider it so. It's a kind of barong that public employees used to wear before. And surely they added to the traffic congestion. The boy was nice though. In my home country, the guards aren't for the politicians themselves. It is extended to their families. Being in the limelight is both a boon and a bane.
And yes some changes have alarming implications. If only people won't be as greedy.
@pedal, but we have to. We have to listen to them to know their say on matters with public importance. We have to listen to their slips of tonque to know their sincerity. We simply have to.
@Dream, been here for more than 20 yrs. And still amazes myself. If only I can speak the language fluently. It's just so hard to crack the ice if there's that language barrier. But that's what amazing in me, I've managed to survive, thanks to some nice Jpeople. And now you're in Hongkong! How about hopping here?
To all those who commented, Redex for being my first, Ken for sharing an indepth observation on his part of the globe, pedal for his animosity, and Dream for sharing one of her love lost, very many thanks. And sorry for the late response. And to the rest who viewed, very many thanks too. Hoping for a peaceful world!
Still in Malaysia but AirAsia does fly to Osaka!