Job Discussion Forums

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

The part time foreign teacher at our school was arrested and jailed awaiting trial for skinny dipping at Kamakura.

Our vice principal has to find his apartment, get in, retrieve his passport and some clothing and take them to Kamakura. The school will be forced to fire him.

Is this too much or what?

I don't know the details exactly but I can imagine alcohol may have been envolved but I can see stripping off and running naked into the sea, done it myself.

Be safe this holiday everybody.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Chris12 · Joined: 25 May 2004 Posts: 98

Sounds like your colleague was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometime during my first month in Japan, I was walking down a street in Tokyo. The sun had already set and the moon and stars filled the sky when a completely nude young man comes running towards me. I thought to myself, "Must be wash day and so he doesn't have anything to wear!"
I wonder how the police caught your colleague skinny dipping?
I've been to Kamakura many times. Was he caught in the country or the city?

I guess whenever you are in a foreign country you have to follow the laws even more so.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Sweetsee,

Is what too much? Swimming naked where laws prohibit it? Barring any isolated, remote, rural environment as the setting, your friend was caught by police. That says at least one thing...he broke a law. No cake involved there. Who knows exactly which law or laws, as the case may be. I suspect the same thing would happen to any Japanese person. So what's the beef exactly?

I agree with Paul about shame leading to firing. Do you know that it is going to happen for certain, though?

I wouldn't speculate any further, if I were you. That takes the cake.

skarp · Joined: 30 May 2004 Posts: 50

In the UK, if a nurse is convicted of any offence, barring perhaps some traffic offences, they will be fired and disqualified form teaching. This may have changed but was true 10 years ago.

A similar thing goes for teachers.

This is not uncommon. I expect a Japanese caught in similar illegal activity - it may not be a big deal but it is illegal - would also get fired. People usually get fired following any conviction, even a caution is a conviction in the UK, so accepting a caution for a trivial drug offence may be a mistake - make 'em prosecute, chances are they'll just drop the charges.

So no - it doesn't take teh cake but thanks for bringing this up...it's useful to be reminded to be careful.

skarp · Joined: 30 May 2004 Posts: 50

In the UK, if a nurse is convicted of any offence, barring perhaps some traffic offences, they will be fired and disqualified form teaching. This may have changed but was true 10 years ago.

A similar thing goes for teachers.

This is not uncommon. I expect a Japanese caught in similar illegal activity - it may not be a big deal but it is illegal - would also get fired. People usually get fired following any conviction, even a caution is a conviction in the UK, so accepting a caution for a trivial drug offence may be a mistake - make 'em prosecute, chances are they'll just drop the charges.

So no - it doesn't take teh cake but thanks for bringing this up...it's useful to be reminded to be careful.

migo · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 201

NTS: Don't go skinny dipping in Japan.

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

Chris, evidently it was at 5:00 this morning and residents called the police.

Glen, what is your beef? I don't remember saying he was choking his chicken in front of Japanese women in the playground at the park while reading gang rape comics on his way home for his daily health with an underage school girl.
And I wasn't speculating, I was told by school officials he was terminated as a result of being arrested for a crime.
Have you taken up a torch or is vacation getting to you?

Skarp, still looking? Thank you for the kind words.

And hey...be safe out there this holiday everyone.

Karoons · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 10

I do find it quite strange that your friend got arrested for skinny dipping. This is my third summer living around the Kamakura area and each year I`ve seen a few groups of young Japanese guys stripping off and running into the sea for a dip. No one on the beach ever seems to mind.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

skarp · Joined: 30 May 2004 Posts: 50

Well - I guess it's unfair that they nail us and let the locals off - but what do you expect.

The 'tabloid' culture is all over teh world....dangerous foreigners and all that.

BTW - do we intimidate Japanese men in the same way we scare Korean men?

Could that be part of the problem?

sidjameson · Joined: 11 Jan 2004 Posts: 629 Location: osaka

Crikey, at the moment I am in the habit of walking around my apartment naked. Because its so hot....honest. Anyway, anyone looking from the right angle outside would get a peep if they were lucky and if they were unlucky a full on money shot. Wonder if I can expect a visit from the boys in blue? At least they have smaller trunchons than the english bobbies. Very Happy

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

king kakipi · Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 353 Location: Australia

I, for one, feel a bit sorry for this bloke. He may have broken the law, but this is a country where it is apparently OK to get the 'old fella' out at anytime, and in any place, to urinate...........

ntropy · Joined: 11 Oct 2003 Posts: 671 Location: ghurba

Feel sorry for him? Yeah, I've done it myself. But very quietly without making a big "splash" so to speak. I suspect if the neighbours woke up at 5 am and phoned the police he was disturbing the peace as well and got what he deserved. In Japan, disturbing the "wa" is a worse offence than breaking any law.

My contract in Japan, by the way, had a morals clause which allowed the employer, local board of education, to fire any of us at any time for breaking it. I suspect many contracts affiliated to public institutions do.