On a serious note

I can say with honesty that I've never really felt uneasy about walking alone at night in Sakai, even greater Tokyo for that matter. I don't think twice about taking the back route home, even if it's after midnight. I enjoy the comfort of visiting my favorite places tucked away in the narrow backstreets of my neighbourhood. It's not a direct route home but I love walking past the beautiful flower shop on the corner, the local sento (public bath); saying hello to my favorite tree; seeing the yellow sports car tucked into the tiniest of driveways. After three years I still wonder how they manage to park it into such a small awkard space. I love my neighborhood, from the house we jokingly call the 'Mexican Embassy' to the bakery that plays country music from opening to closing.

That's why when someone comes and violates the place that we call home angers me. It terrifies me that my friend was followed to our apartment building, right up the steps to the second floor. As she was unlocking her door, she looked back down the hallway and saw an older man masterbating. She yelled and chased him off. I hate that she had to experience that. I hate that it makes her feel unsafe not only in her own neighborhood but in her own building.

Incidences like these make you question your normal behavior. Where you once strolled along, your pace quickens. Where you once glanced casually over your shoulder at the suited man following you, you now closely monitor his pace behind you. Where you once felt safe, you don't.

This incident comes on the heels of some pretty highly reported news stories here in Japan. About a month ago an English woman was murdered by one of her students. Her body was discovered in a bathtub filled with sand on his balcony. The police were alerted by a neighbour who saw a hand hanging out of the bath. Just yesterday there was an article detailing the arrest and conviction of a Japanese man who drugged and raped 9 women. One of his victims, an Australian woman, died as a result of the drugs he'd given her - he was found not guilty of the murder.

I'm not telling you this to shock or disgust you. Neither do I want to make you fear for my safety but this is what is on my mind today. It just throws into question my life as a foreign woman in Japan.