bad news from akihabara

(1 comment)
2008.06.10
Josh, my friend who hosted me when I visited Japan, wrote with some sad news from Japan (I supplemented with a few photo links):
Some guy drove his SUV into a group of 18 people in Akihabara, got out and stabbed 8 to death because he hates society.

Killed them in front of the game arcade that you and I went into. The one where we went up to the top floor and you took a picture of the woman dancing.

By the way, the street in Akihabara that is closed on Sundays and has all the crossdressers and maids, as well as the one in Harajuku, have been closed to those kinds of activities since May. Police allow cars on the roads, hence the the guy this afternoon, and detain any people crossdressing and performing.

Some lawmakers decreed that this kind of behavior was immoral and antisocial.

Too bad they don't feel that way about killing being immoral. Its just an expression of human dissatisfaction with society.
I share Josh's anger with this. Besides the general split about the value of individual human lives between Japan and the West, it reveals the right wing element that still lurks under some parts of Japanese politics (there are out and out fascist parties that people politely ignore, despite their political vans on the street.)

I'm almost equally distressed by a reversal of the social tolerance, this sense of I can do my thing, you can do your thing, that has been a hallmark of much of Japanese society.


luggage with the ex's name on the tag, old love letters from the gf. while moving, mourn for what you will miss, or what you have already?
I'm impressed at how many people argue their case on wikipedia discussion pages rather than just making the edit.
Ah, the discrete charm of the summer cold. A scratchy throat has a different character while one is walking in a oddly strong hot wind.