Another classic from a student
I love teaching the students at my school, and sometimes they come out with classic comments that I just can’t respond to as I’ve been too busy picking my jaw up from the floor. Previous classics have included, “Dave, I’m trying to be bisexual” (from a girl who knew exactly what she was saying and sometimes tried to she if she could embarrass me), and “David… I want… black man!! Like Denzil Washington or Shaquille O’Neal” (a girl, who obviously thought I had the ability to pimp her out!). Anyway, yesterday I had another cracker.
I was helping some students yesterday after school prepare for the Okinawa Senior High School Debate Contest, and we were staging a mock debate. I was debating in a team alongside a Japanese student, against a team of students. In the middle of the debate, my team member turned to me and whispered, “David. Maybe tomorrow your neighbour’s ghost will visit you apartment!”. What made her think of that at that time I have no idea, but it just stunned me completely! I’ll never tire of some of the things they say:)
Custom Car Show 2007
Photos taken from the Custom Car Show 2007 in Okinawa, southern Japan, this Sunday. Excuse the quality of some of the shots - they were taken on my phone. Please note that if you click to see this whole post there are over 60 photos. If you use a modem to dial up to the internet, it may take a while.
Crimewatch Update part 2
More news to report on the assault/attempted murder which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Looks like you can scratch off the “attempted” from attempted murder as the guy has died. I arrived home this evening from work to find the house covered with Japanese funeral regalia. By this, I mean that there was a black & white vertical banner on the borders of the property, and a Japanese lantern outside the house. I will try and get a photo of the building tomorrow at some point, so you have an idea of what happens when someone dies in Japan.
So the plot has just taken a much more serious twist, and it turns out that I my apartment where I was sleeping was about 30ft away from a pretty brutal murder of an alleged ultra right-wing nationalist group member. Scary stuff indeed. Will report with any more news when I receive it.
CSI: Okinawa: Crimewatch Update!
Well, after Wednesday morning’s events, things have got a little quieter in my peaceful village. The police haven’t been seen at this guy’s house since I left for work on Wednesday morning, and while the shopfront still has the shutters down, I saw a couple of older women cleaning the place today when I got home from work. Glanced inside as I walked by and saw a fair few sections of the paper screen which sometimes separates walls here in Japan ripped. Looks like there was a bit of a struggle, whatever went on.
Was relaying my story to my students over the past couple of days, all of whom have been very interested and excited by it. The change in their expressions when they finally manage to translate what I’m saying to them was something quite magical! It went from the usual “I sort of understand” look to one of horror! Anyway, after a class today one of my students came to chat to me. She told me that she lived in the same area as me. Apparently, this guy was (or had been) a member of one of the uyoku dantai - the ultra right-wing nationalist groups. What she said was very believable actually. So it sounds like someone’s either wanted to send him a stern message, or the house next to my apartment block was the scene of an attempted murder. Either way, it’s pretty big stuff to be happening in my village.
Needless to say, I’ll go to bed with the door locked tonight. Take care and I’ll be in touch with more news soon.
CSI: Okinawa
Well it’s just past 6am and I’m sat at my computer writing a blog entry. I think I should point out straight away that it’s not because I wet the bed (I haven’t done that for weeks, in fact). The real reason is that at 5am this morning there was a knock on my door and a ring of the doorbell. My first thought is “Go away!”, but after thinking about it for a second, I reconsider and venture towards the door to have a look through my little door spyhole. See nothing so I locked the door (usually leave it unlocked) and go to my bathroom window where I can see down to the road. It’s then that I see 4 police cars, one police bus, and numerous people out of their apartments and looking down next to my apartment block. “Time to get dressed” thinks I…
So I throw some clothes on and step outside where I can get a better view of what’s happening. As I look down I can see crime scene investigators at work outside the one-storey house/mini-shop next to my apartment block. I was quite relieved the authorities hadn’t finally caught up with me, but concerned about what had happened only a short distance from my doorstep. Although it was still dark outside, the lights from torches and the street show blood on the steps and path leading up from the road to the house, and a scary bloody handprint on the vending machine next to the shop. My neighbours are also looking down at the scene unfolding below me. There were around 10 forensics people and another 10 police officers (at least), with the side road which goes by this building blocked off by police tape. Soon enough, a couple of policemen come up to me and ask, a little nervously, if I speak Japanese. I told them a little and they were asking if I had heard any commotion last night (I hadn’t, and had been at home all evening), and when I’d gone to bed (around 2215-2230). From what I could gather, something has happened at about 4am this morning. Not sure what exactly, but the inside of this old guy’s house who lives next to our apartments is covered in blood, and then he’s left a trail of blood as he left the house. The guy is in hospital but still alive, and now police are trying the find out the who, what and why of it all.
This is a serious thing, especially for a quiet village in the south of Okinawa. It’s not everyday you are woken up to find a neighbour has been the victim of an assault/attempted murder. And it’s over 2 hours since I was woken up (which was after the police had arrived) and there’s still a lot of police activity going on. I don’t know if I’ll hear any more about this, but I’ll keep my eyes and ears open and report anything I know back to you. Take care and dive safely.