The Dark side of Japan Tourism.

[Cynicor]

(Look at custody battles between locals and westerners)

To be fair, custody between locals (in Japan) was also a *hit show until a law change ?last month? to slightly improve things.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

It was probably at this stage I had a "nervous brakedown" as my mother would have said - if she was alive !!

I didnt have a working phone, my husband was in the clink, I was in a Japan ! I was alone, I couldnt contact our son ... want else could go wrong !

The ONLY good thing from all of this is ... is I lost a stone in weight !

 

[Katie]

It was probably at this stage I had a "nervous brakedown" as my mother would have said - if she was alive !!

I didnt have a working phone, my husband was in the clink, I was in a Japan ! I was alone, I couldnt contact our son ... want else could go wrong !

The ONLY good thing from all of this is ... is I lost a stone in weight !

Huge ordeal for both of you!

 

[ausfox]

Great to see you can retain your sense of humour. mrs.dr.ron

 

[Cossie]

@drron following along with total disappointment and horror at what you went through. I had a feeling something was off as the updates on your trip report had trailed off.

Have you considered sharing your story with a media outlet? Japan is a major tourist destination for Australians, and while I'm not naive enough to think it will make any difference to the big picture, it may just force some hands in getting answers for your own case.

I hope you and @mrs.dr.ron are recovering nicely back home.

Seriously, contact travel sections from the various newspapers here in Australia, SMH and the like, definitly worth putting it out there.

 

[Dmac59]

It was probably at this stage I had a "nervous brakedown" as my mother would have said - if she was alive !!

I didnt have a working phone, my husband was in the clink, I was in a Japan ! I was alone, I couldnt contact our son ... want else could go wrong !

The ONLY good thing from all of this is ... is I lost a stone in weight !

As I prepare to embark on my first visit to Japan (solely based in Tokyo, so no driving) in November, this whole saga makes me sad but also cautious at what one may possibly encounter when dealing with officialdom in a foreign country.
Notwithstanding, I sincerely hope you and @drron can put this episode behind you and move forward with future travels.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

There Will be NO more trips to JAPAN !!
There are a few countries I would NOT go to ... Japan was not on that list,,, till now !!

 

[MARTINE]

There Will be NO more trips to JAPAN !!
There are a few countries I would NOT go to ... Japan was not on that list,,, till now !!

Nothing I can write is of any use.. but am thinking of you and your dear soulmate — as a fellow traveller and hoping this ordeal will be over soon (for what its worth).

 

[Tiki]

I think the most shocking thing is this happened not to some reckless youngster but to a well-traveled, highly respectable, mature retired doctor. And this is very shabby treatment for a car accident. It's scary that these motorcycles, especially the quiet electric ones can whizz out of nowhere and are being driven by people trying to do as many deliveries as possible so not paying attention. I've rented cars all over the world pre-Covid and thought nothing of it - Thailand, Brazil, USA, Turkiye, South Africa, Namibia. It was actually the cost of renting a car with insurance as I need an automatic that changed my mind for Chile, never occurred to me what would happen if I was in an accident. And maybe the foreigner is always wrong.

 

[Quickstatus]

There Will be NO more trips to JAPAN !!

Still, I hope the both of you don't lose the travel bug

 

[dajop]

And maybe the foreigner is always wrong.

Not only that, but also in lots of places the driver of the bigger vehicle is also always wrong. So a double whammy.

 

[Matt_01]

There Will be NO more trips to JAPAN !!
There are a few countries I would NOT go to ... Japan was not on that list,,, till now !!

We have been to Japan several times but only hired a car in Okinawa. I was somewhat in disbelief I saw this thread and cannot imagine what @drron and you went through. What made it a harder read was that we have run into each other over the years at AFF functions and an impromptu catch up in the QF F lounge several years back. It was only earlier this year on your other trip to Japan I had reached out to Ron to catch up in Japan however the timing did not align. Given Ron is posting about the experience I assume you are both back in AU

 

[Matt_01]

Not only that, but also in lots of places the driver of the bigger vehicle is also always wrong. So a double whammy.

When we were last in China we used a driver, my recollection from sitting in the vehicle was that in China the biggest vehicle had the right of way. Our interpreter had informed us Mr Pang had been driving for many years but after the first 30 minutes I wondered if Mr Pang had ever sat a licence test. On that trip it was mainly work with the family in tow (working holiday) so was able to send most of the time on the phone rather than what Mr Pang was doing.

 

[OZDUCK]

I am just catching up and am very sorry to read about your awful experience. I hope that you are both feeling better and enjoy much better trips in the future.

 

[LinaLee]

Have just started catching up on threads. Oh so sorry to hear of this ordeal. Hope you’re home safe now @drron and @mrs.dr.ron

 

[Seat0B]

Adding my shocked voice to the throng. I’m so very sorry this happened to both of you and I hope that things were resolved without too much more trouble for you both. It’s dreadful treatment for such a minor accident.

 

[drron]

A heartfelt thank you to all of you who have expressed your good wishes. Though my reason for writing this report is twofold. one as a warning that you must be aware that travel is not without risk. The second is that hopefully this might act as a bit of a warning to Japan that they must consider the way that they treat tourists as I fully intend to go further down the human rights path.

However I missed a bit of Monday morning. Early Monday a bit after breakfast I was once again handcuffed and taken down stairs and had my mugshot and fingerprints taken. It took a little longer than they thought as I got an itchy nose so acratched it. somehow they didn't think showing the handcuffs in front of my face ruined the shot.

That evening I saw my lawyer. In fact 2 lawyers. The one recommended by the Embassy spoke excellent english. he had worked in the UK for 5 years. however he was not a criminal lawyer so I also had a Japanese criminal lawyer which meant i was up for double the fees. Just an extra cost for Hokkaido. However I was much happier after the visit and now a way to get a message to Mrsdrron.. He did though express some doubt as to whether he could get me released before our flights home. So another sleepless night..

However after my lawyer left I was handed the decision from the Judge partly in English. As I thought an extra 10 days detention was approved. But it was the added bits that really ended up motivating me to take this fight on. It stated that I was to have no visitors except for my lawyer. It also stated I was not allowed to be brought food or drinks from outside as all the others were allowed to have.
I was then asked to sign a paper saying I understood everything. It was all in Japanese so I simply stated that I would no longer sign any document only written in Japanese as i could not know what i was signing.

The warden was called in and the interpreter was called up. I was obviously going to be in trouble. However the first thing i did was show the interpreter my damaged left great toe. I explained it had been caused by one of the Detention staff. the mood suddenly changed as it turned out if a detainee is injured they should have medical treatment as soon as possible and this occurred just over 12 hours before. All of a sudden it was the warden feeling the heat.

Next post my experience of the Japanese hospital system.

 

[drron]

Adding my shocked voice to the throng. I’m so very sorry this happened to both of you and I hope that things were resolved without too much more trouble for you both. It’s dreadful treatment for such a minor accident.

I always remembered your post on Japanese zoos and why are they so cruel to the animals.
Unfortunately I now know the answer. It is because they are even crueler to humans that they put in cages.

 

[JohnM]

I always remembered your post on Japanese zoos and why are they so cruel to the animals.
Unfortunately I now know the answer. It is because they are even crueler to humans that they put in cages.

So little has changed in the last 80 years...?

 

[Quickstatus]

@drron

Possibly you have seen this already..
My friend in Nagano sent me this

Nagano friend suggests the prosecutor in your case is behind all this.