If you live in Japan, you've undoubtedly heard that starting last week, ALL non- Japanese need to be fingerprinted and photographed the next time they re-enter Japan.
This is a something that has been brewing for quite a few months, and any background I could give here is best explained at debito-san's site or a good write-up by the NY times on the subject. (And yes, I only gave you a general link to Arudo Debito's site, because it is worth reading everything on it if you haven't already)
My 2 Yen on the subject:
My reaction to this entire fiasco has been disappointment, not precisely anger,but getting there.
As everyone that knows me knows: I love being here: I have a great career here, a great family here, I love just about everything about living here day to day, and it's crap like this that turns those Great feeling into Shitty feelings:
no "Great" to "Good" to "So So" to "Hey, it's better than" to "I don't know about this" to "Damn this stinks" to "Shit".
Straight from "Great" to "Shit" (and you can quote me on that!)
Yes I know the US does something similar: my wife has to go through it every time we go back- but A. we don't live there, so she doesn't have a "visa" other than her passport, and B. I don't agree with that either but at least we can go through the same line.
It's things like this that make you wonder how to raise your child:
Do you do the activist- "this is all crap that mommy or daddy has to go through" speech every time they pass through the border, or do you just shrug it off in front of them so they get used to living in a world where when they go to one of their "home" countries, one of their parents will be treated as a criminal...
(Although my daughter's still so small, she'd probably want to do the fingerprinting thing with us just because it looked fun!)
Re-entry Japan's got a great start on at least something to do! There is also an online petition that you all should sign (yes, I've never heard of an online petition before either, and also semi-doubt its effectiveness- especially in Japan- just don't be the idiot that signs it anonymous) but at least if you're not happy also, you have something!
Oh and also get your T-shirt now! and fight the power!
Meanwhile, I have half a mind to simply just not leave the country for a while- they can't get me if I don't leave to have to come back, right? (I say to myself with tongue in cheek)
Back to more day to day cool- life things: the next post will be more about the above picture:
But trust me both he and I are not amused about fingerprints!
1 comment:
In about a month I'll get to test out the new system myself. Here's hoping there's no "shower" to be herded into at the front of the line.
On a different note, I forgot what a damn good writer you are.
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