Rishiri's Dark Secret

Idyllic Rishiri Island is in denial.

The dream island has a very ugly side. For some of its inhabitants, theft is a way of life. These dark ones floating around the port may look overweight and haphazard, but in truth they are organized and without scruple. And you are the victim. They are waiting for you.

There's a consensus of silence. None of the tourist literature mentions the island's dark side, But I assure you, it's there, and they are there, sinisterly well-fed for their kind, loitering in the shadows trying to look nonchalant, all the while taking side-glances your way and biding their time—before they strike.

They wait for you, the gullible tourist fresh off the boat. And you don't even notice. You are completely oblivious. You fall for it every time. It's another case of daylight robbery, Rishiri-style.

The old man drinking beer and doing stretches in the park that morning has another good laugh. The stretches and the beer are just a feeble cover story. He's really there to watch the show, though he's seen it many times before. He's a material witness, but he'd laugh in your face if you asked him to testify. He may even be involved.

It will happen to you. And when it does, you're going to feel very, very stupid—and strange, like you want to laugh.

You will consider going to the police before deciding against it. This may be down to embarrassment, or disbelief. You may simply lack the vocabulary to describe your assailants.

But the terror has to stop. When it happens to you, I urge you to reconsider and go to the police. When talking to them, you must keep your composure. You must not be brushed off. You must insist that they initiate criminal proceedings.

When you do, I want to be there with you. There are things I want to know.

How do you say feathered, egg-laying, and vertebrate in Japanese? Or forelimbs adapted to form wings? Are there any plans to reintroduce stoning? And have they located my packet of pineapple rings? Posted by Setsunai at September 9, 2005 5:46 PM