My first trip overseas in 1993 was to Japan (on Business of course) and the Customs official at Tokyo asked me if I had anything to declare. I wasn’t sure what that meant so I said I don’t know. He rolled his eyes and showed me a picture of a Joint and a hypodermic needle and asked if I was carrying these. I said no. Then he showed me a picture of a gun and a gernade and asked if I was carying those and I said no. He rolled his eyes again and waved me on. As I was walking away he said something very quickly to another Customs agent and they both laughed.
I asked him politely “Yukuri Kadasai?” (slowly please) and he laughed again and waved me on.
The salary-man assigned to escort me to their office kindly informed me that when someone asks me if I have anything to declare then my answer should be NO!!. I thanked him for his guidance and then asked him to translate what the customs agent had said. I repeated it back to him phonetically (and apparently I did a good job of mimicing the agent). The salary-man informed me that he said to his friend “He looks too stupid to be a smuggler!”.
So the reason I recount this tale is to ask if anyone out there knows why they even ask. How many people are going to knowingly admit to carrying contraband? I would think that question would get one affirmative answer a year at most (even in a crowded airport like Narita).
ejcapulet over 14 years ago
TMI!
Jascat over 14 years ago
Some things you don’t NEED to know; some things you don’t WANT to know. This falls under both of these categories…
GROG Premium Member over 14 years ago
A declaration I could have done without.
Nighthawks Premium Member over 14 years ago
so, the governator wears no undies?
bald over 14 years ago
ewwww, that is just too much information
Mephistopheles over 14 years ago
My first trip overseas in 1993 was to Japan (on Business of course) and the Customs official at Tokyo asked me if I had anything to declare. I wasn’t sure what that meant so I said I don’t know. He rolled his eyes and showed me a picture of a Joint and a hypodermic needle and asked if I was carrying these. I said no. Then he showed me a picture of a gun and a gernade and asked if I was carying those and I said no. He rolled his eyes again and waved me on. As I was walking away he said something very quickly to another Customs agent and they both laughed. I asked him politely “Yukuri Kadasai?” (slowly please) and he laughed again and waved me on.
The salary-man assigned to escort me to their office kindly informed me that when someone asks me if I have anything to declare then my answer should be NO!!. I thanked him for his guidance and then asked him to translate what the customs agent had said. I repeated it back to him phonetically (and apparently I did a good job of mimicing the agent). The salary-man informed me that he said to his friend “He looks too stupid to be a smuggler!”.
So the reason I recount this tale is to ask if anyone out there knows why they even ask. How many people are going to knowingly admit to carrying contraband? I would think that question would get one affirmative answer a year at most (even in a crowded airport like Narita).