Does There Seem To Be A Problem, Officer?

You know how your stomach drops to the floor the moment you see those flashing lights in your rearview mirror? That terrible mixture of shock, horror, anger, and fear rolling through your body in waves? I endured this torture for a little over 10 minutes this morning on my way to work.

Before my parents go into a enraged shock: NO, I was not running from the police.

To my dismay, on-duty police in Japan always ride with their lights flashing. If they need you to pull over, they sound the sirens. Despite knowing this, every time I’m driving and see the flashing lights, I immediately go into a terrified panic convinced that because they won’t understand me, they’ll somehow revoke my visa and throw me in jail. This panic lasts for about 1.5 seconds before I remember how it works here in Japan and realize that in any case, I’m being utterly ridiculous.

This morning was the worst, though. Waiting at the exit of a koban – these small police stations are located every 5 or 6 blocks in Kumamoto – was a police car with flashing lights. None of the 10 cars in front of me stopped to let them onto the road; so in a monkey say, monkey do approach, I calmly drove past as well and let them wait for the next available opening in traffic. Unfortunately, that opening came directly behind my car. So as soon as I passed, the police car with flashing red lights pulled out behind me and followed me for the next 5 kilometers.

It was horrible. I kept looking at the policemen in the rearview mirror, half expecting them to be gesturing angrily for me to pull aside. I could practically see them take my international driver’s permit, which is unfortunately made of paper, and tearing it in half while yelling at me with a lot of words that I didn’t understand. At every intersection, I chanted “Turn, turn, turn, turn…” When they finally did turn, a sense of relief that one so rarely feels in life came over me. I’ve made it one though more day without being thrown out of the country or instigating an international conflict. Well, maybe I shouldn’t say that. The day is young.

Album currently playing on my IPOD – Miles Davis’ 1970 masterpiece, Bitches Brew. A complete departure from the smooth modality of Davis’ 1959 Kind of Blue; Bitches Brew is not an easy album to listen to. It’s challenging and provocative. Put another way, it’s brilliant.

- Jenny