The day after our trip to Nara was our last full day in Kariya. It was somewhat bittersweet since I was already growing accustomed to life in Kariya. However, traveling on a group schedule was becoming quite tiring and I was looking forward to spending some time on my own following the homestay. With it being our last day, I knew had to pack in as much as I could, so Yoko-san and I started off early in the morning at the Kariya Police Station.

No, we didn’t get arrested and we went voluntarily just to clarify.

Yoko-san had asked me earlier in the week if I was interested in a tour to the Police Station. I kind of answered uneasily without really knowing what to expect. I mean, what can you do at a police station except for filing a police report or worse, getting a booking? 

Well, little did I know of the red carpet treatment they gave us when we arrived. It was only half our group which attended, so for them to do so much work for five ordinary citizens, it completely blew me away.

As we were lead inside, we had to pass through the main working area before reaching the police chief’s office at the end of the hall. All the officers and staff members momentarily stopped what they were doing to greet us. When we made it inside the office, all five of us were given a seat at the table, while our host families were seated on sofas. A few officers filed into the room, then we began our introduction to the Kariya Police Department.

We were first given a package they put together in English. Then we were shown slides from a Powerpoint presentation while the police chief gave us a verbal overview of the duties at the station. He spoke to us directly in Japanese, then stopped after a few sentences to allow one of his subordinates to translate back to English. Granted, the officer’s English wasn’t perfect, and there were a couple times we burst out laughing when things got lost in translation, but the amount of effort they put into delivering the presentation did not go unnoticed by any of us. とても感謝しています!

We had a question and answer period following the presentation and we discussed some of the statistics they showed us from the slides. We were amazed by the low crime rates in the city, as well as the pride they take in maintaining traffic safety. I’ll post this article from the local newspaper coverage which I translated into English:

Friday February 18, 2011
Chunichi Newspaper

Visitors from Mississauga Learn About Public Safety
Kariya Police Station

Five delegates from Kariya’s sister city in Mississauga, Canada visited the Kariya Police Station on the 17th to learn about the work of the police and on public safety.

The delegates were most concerned about regulations on drinking and driving. Those found guilty of driving under the influence can be charge up to 500,000 yen and may lose their licenses. When the delegates heard that, they were extremely shocked. “That’s very strict. In Canada, you can drink a bottle of beer and still drive.”

“How many female officers do you have?”, “How do you cut down on traffic accident fatalities?”, were questions asked by the group. ‘Taihojitsu’, a special kind of martial arts used by the police was demonstrated. Police patrol cars and motorcycles were also shown as well. The delegates will return to Canada on the 18th.

Later we toured the facilities and had a chance to pose for pictures sitting on top the motorcycle. We returned inside to wrap up our visit by having tea and wagashi. I had a very embarrassing situation eating the wagashi when I couldn’t cut into it using the kuromoji (wooden pick). Everyone was practically done eating and I had barely made a slice into my cute little usagi mochi (which I think they gave it to me on purpose because I was the youngest in the group). At that point everyone was telling me just to stab and bite into it, but thankfully the police chief ordered a staff member to bring me another one. (>//<)

When it was time to leave, the police chief presented gifts to each of us. I received a meishi holder branded with Japan Police at the top and also a police dog mascot to go in my car. They were incredibly gracious to us and the trip to the station made it one of my fondest memories during my time in Kariya. Thank you so much for the hospitality!