Koban Justice

No pics, but a hilarious story about something me and my friends saw last night while walking to the movie theater.

There is a small Koban (police) box right on the south side of the station in Mito, and as we were passing it we noticed some cops out and about. One of them had a camera, and a few had a couple buckets of water for god knows what reason. Like every weekend night, there were obnoxious bikers cruising by and revving their lawnmower-size engines to try and get some attention. Typically, these guys honk and rev their way through red-lights and everyone stops for them because they don't want to cause an accident. Cops don't do anything about it, because it's more dangerous to chase them than it is to leave them go.

By the time we got up to the platform we realized they were trying to organize and stop a Yanki biker (with the spikemullet and everything) who was being a jackass cruising around the roads near the station to try and pick up chicks.  The guy did a few loops around a median, swerving between lanes as a cop car slowly followed behind with the lights on. The biker knew he could get away at any time and was just messing with them so that all the people on the platform could watch.

We kept looking back at the cops hanging around the Police box. What are they planning to do with that camera. Why are they hiding behind that sign? And what is the bucket of water for? There not really going to.... there's no way that they could.... could they?

It took a minute, but eventually the biker stopped and picked up a girl from the side of the road. I imagined his pickup line: "Hey baby, wanna run from the cops with me?" He immediately takes the next right turn and cruises by the police box where the cops were waiting for him. One of the cops quickly jumps out from behind the sign, runs into the 4 lane road with the bucket of water and nails the biker right in the face, splashing water everywhere over the biker, the girl, and their crazy-beautiful anime hair.

I guess the dude split afterwards. Never before in Japan have the cops provided so much justice.

Fujita Wedding

Congratulations, Yasuhiro and Misa Fujita! These two tied the knot on the 10th of September, though I'm only writing about it just now. Years from now, when I look back on my trip to Japan and I  contemplate the progress I have made, I'll remember this, and my friendship with Yasuhiro, as one of the most defining moments of my year. 

Showing off the rings

The wedding took place at the beautiful Mito Plaza Hotel, which was home to both the small, sun-lit chapel for the ceremony and the hall for the reception. While it was mostly conducted in familiar, western-style, there were some noteworthy differences. It started in the Chapel outside of the hotel, which was more like a large glass ceiling-ed gazebo surrounded by trees. In a short twenty minutes up on the platform, Yasu and Misa said words, kissed, and traded rings in far too familiar fashion- similarly to other weddings I've been too, Japanese babies apparently like to cry at weddings too. The ceremony was beautiful, and I found myself wondering how much money the venue had to have cost. 

Our group: Joel, Hirono, Tony, and Ben. 

Then again, cost is where the Japanese wedding traditions are the most apparent. Yasu and Misa don't have a lot of money, yet a venue like this, especially in Japan, would cost a significant amount. However, it's not the bride's father, but the guests, who end up paying for the wedding. In order to be accepted into a Japanese wedding reception, a guest must provide a donation at the door, usually an amount set by the bride, for each person. These are wrapped in special money envelopes with the name of the giver on the outside (which I tastefully forgot and instead chose to stuff my donation in a standard 3 dollar wedding card from the station). Sometimes, the wedding cost is dependent on how close you are to the Bride and Groom, with family members sometimes paying double what friends would or more.

Here, Yasuhiro walks around in his Hakama, waving to his guests, while his new wife traces his footsteps  from behind with her head pointed toward the floor the entire way. 

Yasu and Misa changed outfits a few times during the reception. My favorite was when they entered in traditional garb. Yasuhiro wore his stunting black Hakama and carried a large folding fan, while Misa shuffled behind him in her Geta sandals and Kimono. We were served an amazing seven courses before the night concluded, including something with a taste I've never experienced until now, foie gras. The dishes included, in this order, are as follows: Foie Gras on French Toast; 10 types of Sashimi; salad served with corn soup; three types of seafood and prawns; A dish with cuts of beef, pork, and chicken; a dessert spread that included sorbet, marble cake and fruit; and last but not least- pound cake.  There was no dancing afterwards, not that I expect anyone would have wanted to after that kind of spread. Instead, people were invited to an after party rented out at a club in downtown Mito a few hours later.

This program was so cool to see.

At the end of the night The amount that I paid for attendance was not important, especially considering how well I was taken care of. Everything was perfect, from the presentation of the staff and the atmosphere at the wedding, and even the service. Waiters would trip over each other to refill our glasses with beer when they got halfway empty, and when they missed a queue, a family member from another table would spring to action and introduce themselves with a bottle tipped in our direction. Even the parents of the bride and groom personally introduced themselves to us, and family and friends alike were all very welcoming (despite our affliction). 

One of many amazing dishes. 

Also, at the end of the night as the crowd was filtering out, I got a chance to show off some of my skills with children. I was introduced to one girl who was maybe 4 or 5, and I asked her about the animals she likes. She was pointing at different colors around the room, and before I knew it a bunch of people were standing around watching, clapping and smiling for the girl when she she learned a new word in English. One mother handed me her child over someones head, as if to say, "Please! Please! Do my baby next!". 

The after party was great, but the wedding itself is something I'm glad I didn't miss. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I could, even though I didn't any of the toasts or speeches during the reception.