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Police Took Photos of my Zairyu Card... How Worried Should I be?
So I'm a exchange student here, and have been here for roughly 9 m… Ok guys, here's a throwaway as it's something that's just happened and I need to get more opinions on about how worried I should be.
So I'm a exchange student here, and have been here for roughly 9 months now. I'm walking home after a night out at toriki with my girlfriend and good friend and see that my dormmates are meeting under the local bridge for some drinks. I think "sure I'll go for one", and head there with a single canned lemon sour. After less than 10 minutes of being there, the police show up, and inconveniently, I'm the only one who speaks enough Japanese to converse with them.
From what I could understand, they mentioned that they had a noise complaint and wanted to see our residence (zairyu) cards, and only two of us had them so we handed them over, and they asked to take photos, of course I wasn't going to argue, so let them go ahead and do so. I tried explaining that I hope to live in Japan and if this would cause an issue in my very limited Japanese (私の願いは日本に住んでいます。今は問題ですか) and they responded by doing the big X with their hands, saying 問題ない and smiling.
I also explained that I'd only been there 10 minutes and wasn't loud at all, yet was the only one who spoke Japanese.
I'm ready to defend myself by asking to show CCTV of me showing up literally 10 minutes before they arrive if necessary but still, I'm really worried. I was wondering if anyone had experienced anything similar, and if I should even be worrying in the first place. From what I could understand, they just said it was general procedure.
Please let me know if any of you have experienced anything similar, and if I should be worried at all.
Thank you
Yeah, you're overthinking this. Police in Tokyo photograph zairyu cards all the time for basic field checks, it's just their way of logging who they talked to without having to write everything down by hand. If they were actually concerned about your visa status or planning to file a report, they'd have taken you to the koban for a formal interview, not joked around under a bridge.
A couple things to note. First, drinking in public like that is technically against the local bylaws in most wards, but cops almost never enforce it unless you're causing real trouble or being obnoxious. The noise complaint was the issue, not the can in your hand. Second, your Japanese attempt was actually pretty solid for the situation, but saying 願いは日本に住んでいます probably came across as more formal and anxious than you intended. If it happens again, just say これからも日本に住みたいので、心配です or something simpler, they appreciate the effort either way.
For visa stuff, this won't show up on anything unless they issued you a formal citation or a written warning, which they didn't. The photo is just sitting in some patrol car's notebook or a station log that gets deleted after a few months. Don't lose sleep over it.
You're fine. Police taking photos of residence cards during random checks like this is standard procedure, they're just documenting who they talked to in case a real complaint comes later. The 問題ない and smiles are a good sign, if they were planning to report you for anything serious they wouldn't have been that casual about it.
The bigger issue is that you were in a public space drinking, which is technically illegal in most of Tokyo's special wards outside of designated areas like parks with permits or licensed establishments. Under the bridge near Toriki in Ota-ku, that's definitely not a legal drinking spot. But the cops were clearly just doing a noise complaint response, not looking to bust people for open container violations. They'd have confiscated your drink and written you up on the spot if that was their goal.
One thing to keep in mind for the future, if you're planning to stay long-term and apply for PR or visa renewals, having any sort of police record here is a hassle even for minor stuff. But a photo of your zairyu card from a friendly warning is nothing, that's not going on any record. Just don't make it a habit.
Cops in Tokyo really do just take photos like that for basic paperwork, they're just covering themselves in case someone higher up asks questions later. The fact they did the X sign and smiled means it's already forgotten on their end.
Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.
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