Musings of a Drunken Monk: Individual Entry Archive

In Japan it's widely known that umbrella theft is the most common crime. Second to that is bicycle theft, followed by (obviously) less common and more serious crimes. It's a wonderful statement about the relative safety of this country.

However, it brings to one's life a whole new set of problems that may be completely unheard of back home. Parking a bicycle, for example, is an exercise in figuring out which of (at least) two locks to use. Umbrella theft being the crime most committed, it calls for a special set of personal strategies one must adhere to.

Until relatively recently I have been immune to this heinous crime, at least at my school. Since I park my bike in a certain place and every student in the school knows it's mine, in my infinite naivety I figured they would keep their paws off of my stuff. Sadly when it starts suddenly raining and a student is left to walk home without an umbrella, anything not bolted down and close by is fair game. I have lost two umbrellas in the past month to sudden rainstorms.

There are, as I said, things I have to keep in mind when it comes to maintaining ownership of my umbrellas. If it's raining in the morning when myself and all of the students are coming to school, I'm safe. No student leaves the home umbrella-free, so the odds of him being caught without one after school are low. It's those midday storms I have to worry about. It's those that send me scurrying down to my bike to retrieve my umbrella before someone else does. If I don't, naturally I'll end up the loser going home wet. On these days I actually find myself a little tense if I can't get down to the bike before classes have finished.

Regardless of such grueling strategizing, I still have to keep a backup at my desk just in case.