The School Defense Pole

A few months ago every school in Japan was equipped with one of these:



A while back a madman randomly entered a school and attacked some students. These poles are the schools' response. They are intended for keeping an attacker at bay. In my school they silently appeared one day, strategically placed in two parts of the building. Elementary schools had demonstrations to show the poles' usefulness.

I think these poles are a joke. All the foreigners and most of the Japanese people I talk to agree. The poles wouldn't even slow down someone who was violent and determined. But apparently the school nurse takes them quite seriously.

Today I wanted to provide you with a hilarious pic of me actually wielding the pole, so I gave my camera to a student, found the pole, picked it up, and posed. Then the nurse appeared, and proceeded to bitch me out in front of the students. I couldn't understand her Japanese (it was fast and furious), but I did pick out one word I knew, "dame," (da-may) which I believe translates to "bad." She also made an X with her fingers. It was a bit embarassing to be yelled at in front of the students, but I calmly put the pole back on the wall and thanked the students for trying to help take the picture. Then they asked, "Hey whats that pole for?"

Good question.