Tidbits
Japan Traveler millennium snafus - In the Dec. '99 issue of Japan Traveler, we provided a list of "Millenium Parties" around Tokyo. In addition to misspelling millennium, we missed the mark by one year. As many readers were quick to point out, the second millennium will end on December 31, 2000, and the third millennium will start on January 1, 2001. Apparently the current calendar in use around the world and created in Rome in 525 Anno Domini (A.D.) started with the date January 1, 1 A.D. Therefore, the next millennium will not officially be reached until January 1, 2001. As you read this, we are still in the "Second Millenium." The majority of readers, however, did not seem to take so much notice as 2000 was still a significant milestone and rung in with much extra pageantry and hoopla all over the world.
You heard it here first. In our April '99 issue of Japan Traveler we warned against travel to Cuidad Juarez (Juares City) in Mexico due to an increasing number of robberies and tourist disappearances. Florida reader, Matt-san, has sent us reports showing that two mass graves, representing about 100 recent murder victims, are being unearthed there by Mexican authorities with FBI help. Thanks for the update Matt.
Lawson refuses some services to foreigners. In his regular column in the Daily Mainichi News, satirist Peter Hadfield recently reported that the headquarters for the convenience store chain Lawson sent out a directive to store managers telling them to "firmly refuse to exchange Y10,000, Y5,000 and Y1,000 notes from foreigners." It seems that Lawson had been the victim of several robberies where "foreigners" had use the request for change as a reason to get the cash register open so that they could more easily steal the money inside. After being contacted by Mr. Hadfield, Lawson sent out a second directive for employees to refuse to change large bills from any suspicious group of two or three people, regardless of race. After speaking with several Lawson employees at local stores, Japan Traveler confirmed that there had indeed been two directives with the second one as described by Mr. Hadfield in place. Lawson staff would not elaborate on the exact contents of first directive.
Osaka Governor indicted on molestation charge. Former Osaka Governor "Knock" Yokoyama, who resigned on Dec. 21, was indicted later the same day on a criminal charge of "coercive indecency" after he refused to contest a civil complaint by a 21-year-old campaign worker who said he molested her in a campaign van in April of 1999. Public opinion quickly turned on Yokoyama after he attempted to denigrate the woman while at the same time not denying the accusation, nor even showing up to the civil hearing in which the woman was awarded Y11 million. Yokoyama said "She is telling an absolute lie," and he went on to say that reporters were making too big a deal out of "such a small thing as sexual harassment." But the Osaka public prosecutor seemed to agree with the unprecedented 1,800 letters of complaint that flooded the office. Unwanted groping is not a just civil matter of "sexual harassment," but rather it is also criminal offense, in other words, "sexual assault."
Serving and protecting? The police officer in charge of Kagoshima City's juvenile problems, Hirofumi Enomoto, has been fired for molesting a 16-year-old girl. Enomoto met the girl while investigating a sex shop where she worked after running away from home. He has confessed to dating the girl several times and groping her breast while he was taking her home in his car. In addition to losing his job, it is not clear whether Enomoto will face the same zeal by the Kagoshima public prosecutor as former Governor Yokoyama is currently experiencing in Osaka.
Unfounded rumors - The January issue of Japan Traveler, as you may have noticed, did not come out, but rather we published the February issue in late January. This was due to the two-week holiday of our printers over the New Year's break as well as Japan Traveler staff taking a breather. Contrary to several rumors that have spread around Tokyo, this did not happen because our computer equipment was archaic and got zapped by the Y2K bug. The other rumor that Japan Traveler staff had imbibed themselves into a drunken stupor on New Year's Eve and spent the first part of 2000 mostly hungover was also completely baseless as well.
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