Power to the people!

Mr. Kite-flying Kamikuza : 1.
Park Caretaker Nazi : 0. Har har you old bastard :moon:

Southerlies today, thought I try a different park out cos I was over that side of town.

About 10 minutes before the park was due to close at 4:45pm, I set up camp.
Over the loudspeaker (!) comes a "Excuse me honourable park using person, you can't do that here".
Naturally I ignore it.
This guys obviously a genius though, cos he kept on and on and eventually we got several "Can you hear me?"

So he trots out of his air-conditioned office to give me the personal touch.
Tried to tell me I couldn't fly in the park cos it was prohibited and anyway the park was closing.
I said it's ok my cars not in the carpark and you can't be serious ha ha ... round and round in circles like that and then it degenerated

He told me he'd call the police and give me a big fine then tried to take photos of my gear and me - that really pissed me off!
I grabbed his camera out of his hands and got all Japanese on him = right up in his face shouting at him, not letting him get a word in edgewise.
He ended up slinking away with me hurling abuse at him, unfortunately in English but I think he got the message :roll: I really must learn how to abuse people properly in Japanese ...

Park gates had closed, I wandered back to my car to get money for a drink from the vending machine and to make sure he wasn't taking photos of it. I took some cell phone photos of his car to wind him up :D I made sure to look at the sign of the park rules too ...

About 5 o'clock, a party of 3 comes strolling across the park - the original Old Bastard, another old guy but better dressed, and a young fellow who is the local translator at the town hall.

Round and round ...
"You can't do that here it's prohibited"
"No it's not"
"Yes it is. It's private property" (!)
"Oh really? I thought it belonged to Yasu city government?"
"Oh hmm yes that's right. Anyway, you can't do that here it's prohibited"
"I live in Yasu, I pay taxes here ... it's a public park. Go away"
"You can't do that here, it's prohibited"
"No it's not - the sign say no skateboards, no rollerblades, no BBQs or open fires, no RC-toys, no paragliders (!) and no dogs. Nothing about kites in YOUR rules"
"But you can't do that cos I say so"
"Who the hell are you?"
"I'm the boss of the park"
"So what?"
"Well I make the rules ... splutter splutter ... "
"Nothing in the rules I can see about kites - go away"
"But you have to leave ... splutter splutter ... you're breaking the rules"
"No I'm not, this is a kite and it's not on the rules of prohibited activities on your sign near the gate"
(enter the genius)
"Well, you can go paragliding at Mt. Ibuki"
"It's not a paraglider, it's a kite."
"But Mt. Ibuki ..."
"It's a kite, you idiot. The park is closed and your job is finished for the day - go away"
"splutter splutter ... but we've had complaints from who want to use this area"
"What people? Those 2 guys playing baseball or the 5 people walking those dogs down there?"
(enter the genius again)
"splutter splutter ... dangerous ... power lines ... train lines ... you have to leave" (those lines, up on pylons and a bridge over the river bed where the park is located are over 500m away from where I was)
"Don't care, parks closed, you're nobody, go away"
"But you must leave, you can't do that here"
"Oh but what about the JAPANESE people playing baseball and walking their dogs, do they have to leave?"
"Yes ... splutter ... we're going to make them leave too"
"Ok then off you go, I'll leave when they do"
"Splutter splutter"
"And don't you dare threaten me with the police and fines again you liar or I'll call them on you"
"splutter splutter"
(Translator guy is like "Dude it's not worth the hassle" and I said "Rubbish, I've as much right to use this park as anyone else and if they want to try to bully me, they better be prepared to have their bluff called, #@%$#!ing liars")

... then the well dressed guy muttered something to the effect of "Well the park is closed let's just go home"

So old bastard said "Go home" in English and I said "Ok bye! See you next time."
... and I enjoyed another hour of landboarding practise :D while the guys played baseball, people walked their dogs ...

Usually, I just wait till the park is closed cos I can't be bothered with this kind of crap but I was having a great time with them today :singing: typical Japan though - if you stick to your guns and refused to be bullied you can get away with bloody murder. And when nobodies looking, you just go ahead and do whatever you like - there were over 10 different dogs & owners walking through that park before I left ...!!

Just thought I'd share my small win with you all

Oh, the park ain't the best for wind cos it gets a bit rough off all the buildings but it's better than nothing ...

:wee:

Well, you KNOW how sensitive the Japanese are about those Power Lines....

Quote:

Originally posted by BeamerBob Phew! I've never been to Japan, but that sure is a different culture than here. A half hour of that with my park ranger buddy at Fort Clinch State Park in Florida and I'd get kiting banned on all of Florida's Atlantic coast at least. I guess if you are talking with someone who you know has absolutely no authority whatsoever, then it would be ok to call their bluff. But there would be helicopters hovering overhead if we talked to a park ranger like that.

It'd be 10 times as bad in nebraska! Cops around here truly believe they are gods among men... if i said that to a ranger/rent a cop... an actual cop would be on the scene within minutes, and id be in jail...

Funny story tho, good read!!

Quote:

Originally posted by lad Well, you KNOW how sensitive the Japanese are about those Power Lines....

Just way to funny :wee:

@ Kitejumper - doesn't matter, they have a little list at the office of what is 'allowed' and what isn't.
Allowed to use the PUBLIC park = people who've paid and made a booking :puzzled: can use the tennis courts, soccer and baseball fields to play tennis, soccer and baseball ... and that's it. Everything is not on the 'allowed' list so it's banned, by default.

But like I said, this is Japan - just do what you want. Especially after hours!
You should hear me go on about the driving :flaming:

Get this - my inline hockey team has a fireman & a cop on it. Couple of times a year, we park our cars outside the park gates, walk through the park and across the little road that borders it, 2 feet onto the 'river banS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K- and light up a BBQ. Inevitably, the fireman gets drunk and walks up & down to the river, comes back with half a tree and we have a bonfire :D arson or burning stuff down, as a crime here is right up there with murder. The fireman thinks this is perfectly fine. We're 2 feet from the park but there's nothing they can do. And the cop thinks there's no problem with that.

Like someone said, different culture. Problem is, it's based on bullying by someone 'higher up'. If you don't stand for it and refuse to conform, you can perform miracles

And Godzilla ain't got #@%$#! on me when I get going

There's nothing anyone could do - short of bribing people which is standard business practice here.
Maybe if it was a popular sport like baseball or soccer
There's plenty of reasonable people here too ... and I deal with them reasonably. People screaming at me, people threatening me ... sorry no pull your head in ;-)

Actually ... it did flash through my head, just once and for a split second ... "Anyway, we won the war!"

I've got a few choice phrases in Japanese on standby but they just don't carry the same amount of venom my sailor's English does :D I like to know that people really get my insults

Oh yes went back this afternoon to fly the Rev after work ... office was open, so were the gates - half the town had their dogs there. Huh, hmm ...

I hope nobody took offense to my statement as it was meant as a joke only for sure, but that was the first thought that hit my mind to say to them after reading your story that would really piss them off, but it was meant as humor only.

Big John

Quote:

Originally posted by Kamikuza Actually ... it did flash through my head, just once and for a split second ... "Anyway, we won the war!"

And if nasty words don't work just go to vehicle get out bottle of good Saki and make friends over a good drunk.

Big John

Quote:

Originally posted by Kamikuza I've got a few choice phrases in Japanese on standby but they just don't carry the same amount of venom my sailor's English does :D I like to know that people really get my insults Oh yes went back this afternoon to fly the Rev after work ... office was open, so were the gates - half the town had their dogs there. Huh, hmm ...