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probably foiled an attempted break-in


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Last nite there was a knock at my door. (I'm on ground floor level, in a apartment building). People often knock and try and sell things, even at odd hours. I took a look thru the peephole and heard what sounded like someone walking off. They didn't wait long, I thought. Went back into the other room back to the computer. Then, a short time later, another knock. Hmmm... maybe the guy upstairs? I go back and look out the peephole and see what appears to be a young Japanese dude in white T-shirt and kinda spiky black hair, with one of those canvas shoulder bags on a shoulder. doesn't look like a salesman or Jehovah's witness (yes, I've had them calling too in the past). He's not looking up at the peephole at all, looking down if anything. In the corridor there's a little exit almost opposite my door, that goes out to the street. After a moment he went out there. I assumed that maybe he was knocking at the wrong door or even had friends in the nearby gusto parking lot calling him cos he seemed to go quickly.

 

I go and sit back down at the computer. Then, a few minutes later, I hear someone turning the door handle, as if the door might be unlocked. Now I'm starting to get pissed. (I know salesmen do this too sometimes, one reason why I always keep my door locked).

 

I go to the door, look out the peephole and can't see anything. I stay there, and after a few minutes I see the same guy and he knocks at the door again. I'm waiting for this and I open it very abruptly (it opens inward) and he shoots off out the little exit, probably never even saw me. I yell after him angrily, something like 'what the #$%& are you doing?' or 'get the hell outta here', or something. A moment later I hear a vehicle speed off down the street outside the back room. Maybe not connected and just coincidentally a car happened to turn into that street right at that moment, because surely if there was a car waiting they'd be able to see a light on thru the thick curtains and the balcony door wide open (with curtains covering).

 

Perhaps not a professional, since many knockings, plus the two small windows in the room that looks out next to the front door were ajar. Didn't he see the open windows, and if so why didn't he try and climb in there instead of knocking at the door a third time AFTER trying to turn the handle. Or maybe he wanted to make sure one last time? Possible. Still, I suspect professionals would have sussed out everything that I mentioned and would have approached it differently. What do you think?

 

I suspected that whoever if was had probably been checking out the place for awhile, cos in summer I nearly always leave those little windows ajar to let air flow thru the apartment. Plus I'm often working at night time and not home. Also it's Obon and lots of people tend to go away.

 

I also usually leave the balcony sliding door a little ajar when sleeping in summer, because of the heat/humidity, as I sleep in the room near the balcony. But no more. From now on everything gets locked whenever I'm out, in the shower, and asleep. I'll just have to use a fan if the nites get too hot as they sometimes do this time of year.

 

My nihongo sucks so I went straight to my bilingual neighbor and got her to call the police, 6 of them came over, they were very nice, though (but 6 of them?). They asked me why I opened the door and suggested that it's probably not a good idea to do that, especially since it's an inward-opening door. Well, if I'd seen a guy built like Stallone out there I don't know if I would have been quite so quick to open it, but the guy was shorter than me and I kinda sussed that he was kinda flighty and would dash off as soon as I opened the door.

The Indian neighbor on the other side showed up, and told me later that someone had gotten in there during Golden Week, (they used to leave the front door unlocked sometimes), taken some money and the spare key and returned again another time and took more money. He didn't realise this at first. He thought his wife had lost it.

 

The fudo's for this building are really cool and foreigner-friendly. They happened to be passing by and saw the police car so came over and later gave me their emergency number to call at any hour, anytime if I have any problems. I asked them to put a door chain on the front door for me which they'll probably do, and a deterrent gate near the small exit to make it a little hard to make a quick getaway (which I hope they'll do).

 

I had intendended to get an early night so I could get up really early and go and paint the lotuses but I didn't even bother trying to go to sleep before 4.30am, even though I knew no-one was going to come back that night, I was still in a bit of shock. Maybe they will return later. I'm taking out a cover note on contents insurance today! Of course all doors and windows will always be locked from now on. Actually, I'd love to move, have been wanting to for a long time, so maybe this will get the ball rolling though I'm currently not in a financial state to move right now.

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That's disgusting! mad.gif

Are you OK, sunrise?

I know there are some strange people everywhere. When I lived with my parents, a guy tried to hit me on the way home several times. I got so angry and shocked and called the police, too. They are nice but they can't do anything, and tell me I have to be careful and protect myself.

 

So when I was looking for an apartment in Tokyo, I had some conditions for my room.

1. No ground floor

2. main entrance has automatic lock or landlord lives in the apartment

3. No dismal street on the way home

 

It's not easy to find a room with these conditions but anything for your safety.

My room doesn't meet the condition 2. But just across from my apartment, there is a fire station with 24 hours guard.

 

I hope you have nothing like that any more.

We have to be careful. \:\)

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man, ya story makes me even more paranoid than I already am. I'm glad none of ya stuff got nicked. I live in a crappy apartment with chipboard walls and and my front door is made of aluminium, the type anybody can open if they force it(i pay 3.3 man for the place, so it figures). I think i'm gonna gather up all my valuable things like my bank account book, hankou etc and lock them in my desk at school.

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hmmm, you have more troubling issues than my Google Japan Saga.

 

You could buy some second hand big old Blundstone boots that would be worn by a big tough guy. Plus get a big dog bowl that has "Spike" on it. Put them both at the front door each night and maybe it will scare the little twirp away.

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yo sunrise good to see you again (pity its on a depressing note but)

db's bet me to it i was going to suggest leaving shoes at your front door too.

You'd assume that if you were going to be breaking in on someone you wouldnt knock on the door? mmm.. bizzare, they prolly were just after a bit of cash to get some petrol or somthing maybe you should start leaving change at your door!!

 

hope your doing better now sunrise! dont stress it was ur lucky day that nothing more happen go get a lottery ticket!

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Hey, thanks for the kind words everyone. Appreciated. I'm feeling okay, better than I was, still a little shaken up of course. Probably take a wee while to get over but I think I'll sleep better tonite. Makes me realise how vulnerable you can be when you're a woman living alone. Now I understand what it must be like to be a woman living in a large american city. (as well as other western cities also). I sure took my time going all the way inside my apartment tonite when I got home after the dark, making sure no-one was in there! But I think that degree of caution will wear off before too long. Hopefully it was a one-off thing.

 

In the meantime I've backed up my powerbook computer, hidden the backup drive, credit cards, etc..... turns out my place is insured for contents up to 3.1 million yen so I'm covered if it ever came to that, which is nice to know. I didn't realise I was insured for contents but apparently it's coming out of my rent, unbeknownst to me. (I think it's around 18,000 for 2 years for anyone wondering).

 

I like the big boots idea! Not that I have much space in my tiny genkan, heh heh... one friend said that I need to get a 2 x 4, or a sledgehammer to scare them off the first time so they never come back. Hopefully I did that anyway without all the extras. Though a baseball bat might be good to have...

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Good to hear your OK Sunrise, but on a serious note, i wouldn't keep a baseball bat or anything similar near the entrance. Unless your prepared to use it, and more importantly have the capacity (ie physical strength) the likelihood is that it will end up being used against you...and we don't want anything interfering with your music career \:D

 

Vigilance and a good relationship with your neighbours is your best bet.

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Yes, that's a good point, Antonio. Actually I'd feel more comfortable with a martial arts jo than a baseball bat. I did about a year's worth of aikido a long time ago and we did both (wooden) sword and jo work, though of course I'd be no expert.

 

It's been a strange week. I know some of you guys will laugh at this (I have to admit, I laugh at it myself) - but a few nites ago I was walking to the station down the usual dark street and I was gotten by a ride-by (on push-bike) tit-touch. I was carrying an umbrella in the hand on the side he got me. Young tall dude, I saw him riding past me earlier and he obviously backed up and decided to go for his touch. I recognised his strange fuzzy hair. It was just so silly and ridiculous, I couldn't believe it - not a grab, just a quick light touch..... I yelled obscenities to him, but of course he was on a bike. It seemed so immature and ridiculous that I couldn't even get too angry about it. I could only laugh about it. I'll be ready next time, if I see him again, though.

 

In my nearly 12 years in Japan I've never been physically harrassed here. Not on trains, not anywhere. I put it down to not being blonde or well endowed in the breast department, since wacko Japanese men seem to be obsessed by these two things. I've heard stories of ride-by touching, but only to women in the large department.

 

Anyway, one friend wondered if the original knocking was someone stalking me, or trying to harass me since, if he/they were smart they would have seen the light on in the back room that backs out to the ground floor balcony overlooking the street, and if the car I heard taking off after I scared the guy off was related to the incident, surely they would have known someone was home - lights on, sliding screen door wide open, etc..... If that was the case, maybe it's a stupid mob of kids, possibly even including that ****er on the bicycle... it might explain why the guy kept knocking even after trying to open the door, and why he was standing to the side, near the door handle, when I saw him out the peephole. Maybe he didn't think I'd be able to see him from that angle... hmmm..... In the meantime I'm finding I'm not comfortable going to sleep before dawn as I feel a bit flighty still... I've spent several nites with friends in order to get a good nights sleep, but last nite I was working so I came home again and just stayed up. I'm now looking for a new abode. Well, I've been wanting to move to a more convenient location for quite awhile now. If anyone hears of something let me know.

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I hate to reinforce all your bad impressions of guys, but i have to confess i did giggle at the ride-by touch up. I wonder who dreamed that one up?

 

Some years ago when my now fiance received a run-by arse grab at the local station she was less than impressed when i fell about the floor laughing. In her case it was a 15/16 year old school kid. Of course its not really funny but school guys with their explosion of hormones do stupid things....

 

Good luck finding a new place. While i always look for 1st floor apartments and enjoy the discount i get for being one of the few who likes the 1st floor, maybe you need to go higher up?

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My family have gone off to grandma's for the week leaving me on my own in this big house.

 

While working upstairs, I heard a racket downstairs as of somebody climbing in through the kitchen window. With fists clenched ready for action, I rushed downstairs to find...

 

... that my boiled eggs had dried out completely, exploded, and knocked the lid off the saucepan.

 

\:\( I haven't cooked anything for a long time now, and my food planning skills are at an all time low. How could I have forgotten that the eggs were cooking?

 

I hate having to shut all the windows before I go out. There's so many of the damn things.

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Oh yeh, and the update in case anyone's interested.... I'm finally able to get a decent nites sleep at home again. I'm still going to move - It's not just because of what happened. I'm just too far away from everything, and I badly need a bit more space or at least better set out for my needs.

 

The real estate people are going to put bolts on my balcony doors and a bolt or chain on the front door. It think it's more important that they put a gate where the small exit to the street is, (just near my front door) as that would be more of a deterrent. It wouldn't need to stop anyone, but it would slow people down a little.

 

Antonio, if I see that guy on the bike again I'm hoping for an opportunity to grab his balls and if I do he'll not be feeling pleasure. But then again, I might just laugh instead.

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Mr Matthews, just for clarification - i wasn't at the station. What i meant was, when she got home and told me, i fell about laughing. Or were you suggesting i give my GF a kick up the arse? ;\)

 

Good to hear your getting sleep again, Sunrise. With all the "awake" time you've been having, did you use it to write any more songs?

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Going back to the breakin thing. I live in the countryside, but my little town over the last year or so has seen more than 10 break-ins. Still you see people leaving the house unlocked for the best part of a day and not bothering about it, habit I suppose. It's real sad to think that things like this are on the increase here. But lets face it, a normal Japanese neighbourhood is real easy pickings.

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