I am writing this because this is something that happened to my Japanese friend, and usually these stories are about foreigners having bad interactions with the police here.
My friend and I were hiking in Saitama and had been staying at a ryokan in the mountains. After checking out, my friend realized he had forgotten to return the room key, so he called the ryokan who told him to hand it in to the koban in the nearby town.
He told me to go ahead and wait for him at the station, thinking this would take a few minutes. After 1 hour I began getting worried, so I texted him. I didn't want to go to the koban because IF they were giving him a hard time, my white-ass presence would only make it worse. After about 1 hour and 30 mins I got a short text from him just telling me to go home and that it would take a while.
I decided to stay though. After 4 hours he finally came back and he was fuming. He refused to talk for the rest of the day and I had to wait to the day after to hear what happened.
So here is how it went down.
He returned the key, but the officer wanted to know why he had it. My friend explained he forgot he had it, but that was apparently not good enough for the officer, who first wanted to know whar led up to the key getting into his pocket. My friend had to basically tell them how and when he picked up the key, when he realized it was missing etc.
But this was not good enough, because the officer and his colleague had decided that my friend had stolen the key. They refused to call the ryokan, and they began asking questions about why he was hiking and asked if he was looking at women in outdoor onsen…
Let me clarify, my friend is the most salaryman looking guy you can find. No tattoos, no outlandish haircuts. There was nothing suspecious looking about him.
What MIGHT have stood out was his camera gear, but seriously we were in the fucking mountains.
They demanded to see all pictures on his camera, which he agreed to. Then they wanted to see the pictures on his phone, which he at first refused, but after constant back and forward he did, and they of course noticed intimate photos of his wife. This was apparently their "evidence". He told them it was his wife, and I shit you not, one of the officers began asking totally inappropriate questions like "Do you like fat girls?" (His wife is on the larger side)
While they were doing paperwork he finally had the chance to call the ryokan (and text me). They sent the girl from the frontdesk… who they also questioned, cause they wanted proof she worked there, and also asked if she and my friend had an intimate relationship. She got pissed and called the owner (An older dude) who came down and gave them a severe scolding. After a few bows, my friend was let go, and the ryokan owner felt so bad he refunded our stay…
My friend filed a complaint and has told me that even if he finds someone dying on the street he will never go to the police again.
by Kawadane