As I have mentioned in some of my previous work, contrary to the image many anarchists and libertarians may have of life in Japan (a restrictive, draconian-style existence), I have found my six years here so far to be some of the freest and most enjoyable of my life.
To be sure, the state is totally crooked as it is anywhere else. Any coercive centralized state is designed to be so. Cross the wrong line as a "foreigner" here and you could easily end up in a cage with no voice, no representation, and no real way out. Add to that the recent legislation which is essentially a gag-order on the entire mass media, and you have a statist cocktail that would make even the most seasoned elitist power monger drool for a piece of the pie.
All that notwithstanding, I want to talk about my experience of liberty in Japan, and how I have seen it flourish here and have been healed by it here more than I ever did or was when I was living in the United States.
Out On the Town.
I went out drinking last night (an almost official national pastime here) with a couple of friends, and though I am suffering for it now (where'd I put the Advil again???) I am going to try to salvage some semblance of dignity from the experience and write about it here, in the context of libertarianism and anarchism.
This is the Red Raccoon, or "Aka Tanuki" where the drinking and gnoshing was to be done.
JAPAN LIBERTY POINT NUMBER ONE: BOOZE IS BOOZE, NOT TERRORISM.
Unlike the "land of the free" 'Merica, grown-ass adults are "allowed" to walk around outside here with a can of beer or any other alcoholic beverage, without being hassled by cops or locked in a cage. For proof see video here. Amazing. I know.
I think of my ex-girlfriend, and one of my other friends from back home who was locked up more than once, simply for doing the safe thing and walking instead of driving home drunk.
(police siren)
Hey. Hey you. You been drinking?
Uh...yes, officer.
You know public intox is against the law, right?
Well, yeah but I didn't want to drive because...
Hey! Hold up! Is that a beer in your hand, too!? Get in the fucking car. We are putting you in a fucking cage. Fucking ANIMAL!
FREEEEEEEEDDDDOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!
It's also not uncommon for very high-level, respectable business men to behave like absolute fools around all of their coworkers and superiors at a business event, pass out on a bridge singing Enka songs between bouts of puking, then show back up at work Monday with everyone acting as though nothing had happened. Essentially, drunk people are treated as children here. It is, in part, this lax and tolerant culture in regard to inebriated expression which lends to Japan's inviting atmosphere. If you want to see some dudes who really are gonna need some Advil check out this article from Tokyo Desu. This quote, for me, sums it all up quite nicely:
We should note that it’s Tokyo’s safe environment and tolerant attitude that makes passing out on the street possible in the first place, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t entitled to have a laugh at these guys’ expense...
JAPAN LIBERTY POINT NUMBER TWO: BODY IMAGE/SEX/BODILY FUNCTION: NATURE IS NOT A CRIME.
We partook of a two-hour "nomihoudai" (all-you-can-drink) and I tried raw horse meat--"basashi"--for the first time. It wasn't long before the libations I had pounded down began coursing their way through my system. Had to hit the bathroom. Found this awesome sign in there:
Sign telling dudes on the piss, how to.
Notice that the Tanuki being advised to step forward so that he doesn't piss all over the floor has huge balls and a tiny penis. Traditionally Tanukis are depicted here with massive testicles and holding a jug of booze. (How could a Tanuki not be happy!?) What I want to talk about, however, is the presence of these features at all on pictures posted in public places by a business.
People aren't afraid of naked bodies here like they are in the west. I'm not sure of the exact reason for this, but I heavily suspect that is has something to do with the almost complete absence of the ubiquitous "Catholic guilt" or religious "body guilt" found in the west.
Children's toilet training books show cute cartoon characters pooping out cute brown turds with smiley faces into the toilet. Nobody sues the book companies. We can talk about arms and legs and feet--why not our genitals and bodily functions? This thinking makes sense to me. The all-too-common American "shock" at women breastfeeding in public and at anything having to do with nature or the body strikes me as, at once, both immature and dangerous.
There is also a Japanese poop museum/toilet museum here as well, because, hey, why not?
People go to public baths and hot springs naked. Yep. Just fucking stark naked. It's one of my favorite things to do and it truly is relaxing (once you get over being glowered at by the occasional old man who still thinks that you are responsible for the bomb being dropped on Nagasaki).
I once went to an onsen (hot spring) near Mt. Fuji, found my way to the outdoor hot tub upstairs, and stood up to see a busy highway right below me. Hey guys! How's it hangin'? I wondered how many people would have called the cops had they seen a stark-ass naked man standing up on an overpass hot tub in the U.S.
Maguse onsen in Nagano.
As could be imagined, attitudes about sex/sexuality are also more open here in many ways, and individuals can have adult conversations without turning all red in the face or threatening to call the police and sue someone.
JAPAN LIBERTY (FAIL) POINT NUMBER THREE: FROM HEMP NATION TO AMERICAN PUPPET.
Cannabis possession is highly illegal and severely punished in Japan. Ironically enough, this is a direct result of policies imposed by, you guessed it, the "land of the free," 'Merica, after World War II.
Prior to the criminalization of the Cannabis plant, hemp had been used in Japan for thousands of years for rope, paper, clothing, fishing line, sandals, medicine and even, according to some legends, a training metric for ninjas. The fast-growing plant was allegedly good for jumping practice as it naturally challenged the ninja to jump to greater and greater heights with each passing day. The cannabis leaf can still be found carved into the woodwork of some ancient temples and shrines, and is still used to make rope and paper for religious purposes. Only a few hemp farmers remain in Japan, and they are forced to operate under strict state supervision and be licensed to grow the plant.
Hemp harvest in Nagano.
The Japanese traditional pattern "Asanoha," a stylized hemp leaf, on a kimono.
Hemp rope and paper at a Saitama Shrine.
Punishment for "weed" in Japan.
One joint of the "devil's lettuce" can get an individual thrown in the slammer for up to 5 years with hard labor. Foreigners are more likely to be deported (if they are "lucky") than to be locked up, but there is no guarantee, and neither of these options is appealing to most.
Cannabis is viewed in Japan as heroin often is in the States--a demon drug that causes people to lose their minds, overdose, and harm others. One of my good friends in Japan once asked me "doesn't it make you want to commit suicide?" What is strange is that culturally, most people seem to have forgotten Japan's rich history with the plant, and view it as an evil import from the West, which contributes to the "downfall" of Japanese culture and civilization.
Many Japanese are waking up, and some cancer patients are finding healing and comfort in the plant, if at great legal risk, but the battle for the ability to TOUCH A PLANT WITHOUT BEING PUT IN A CAGE still rages on. Statism is pretty fucking silly, isn't it?
After drinking about 40,000 beers with my bros, I lament that marijuana is still so highly criminalized. My headache would likely be much less intense right now. Ironic that a state and culture which allows for massive inebriation resulting in thousands of deaths, divorces, dysfunctional relationships and job losses each year, can't seem to get around being bothered by a plant.
Oh well. As they say, "statists gonna state."
It is not going to be too much longer, though, with you and me and all the liberty-loving individuals out there who are raising awareness, and living free in spite of this silly beast called the state, which is actually more likened to a chihuahua who has, through lots of yapping and violence committed by the big dogs who believed the yapping, convinced a sea of Rottweilers that they cannot defend themselves and that they are weak, helpless, and don't deserve, really, even to exist. People are not buying it anymore.
Anarchy on, brothers and sisters.
Now for those Advil...
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, writer, and creator residing in Niigata, Japan.