Where have you been the last decades? That law has been and enforced since times immortal.
Well not in Japan actually, at least most of the time
Fair enough the law is the law (although FWIW I feel it infringes on my civil liberties and makes me feel like citizen #8430242024). I just had no idea, and was never informed, which of course is not a defensible excuse, its my responsiblity to know the law blah blah. It would have been nice if this was mentioned to me when I received my residence card, as in all other countries where I have lived there was no such requirement so it just never occured to me. (As it would have if I was in a genuine police-state such as Singapore...).
I read your post first that you had three *used* condoms in your bag and was "yeah good idea to dump those" before I came to "WTF he saved them in the first place".
Hahaha yeah, I was taking them home for wash and re-use, obviously...
possession of condoms is not a crime and 0.02's are expensive.
As for why I dumped the condoms, it was kinda a momentary panic thing, like 'shit this is going to look so dodgy'. Well to be honest, probably the main fear was that my wife was gonna get involved as I was expecting to have to call her to help explain, and I didn't really want the policeman telling her I have been detained in Shibuya with no ID and carrying only 3 condoms.
To be honest in hindsight, im actually pretty pleased with myself for my quick thinking and sly skills to get rid of them while he turned his back. I do think that it would have worked against my 'innocent and apologetic looking nice and respectable white guy' routine which I played to the max to get out of this.
However, I am now paranoid that I have inadvertently commited some arcane law like 'Insulting-the-Koban-and-thus-the-Emperor' by placing indecent objects on a building of authority, and I am actually due bamboo caning and years of hard labour...
Wow, well indeed I was lucky then. Although still pissed to be honest that I got randomly stop-searched, really cannot see any justification for that, and it has to a small degree tinged my image of Japan.
Back on topic, next time I go to the Golden King, I will request them to use the Sugamis and not the brand they had there, as definitely seemed fairly standard in thickness, and I would like to compare and contrast. If they oblige, then assuming I go back a further time I will be taking the super-expensive 0.01's
.