RULES
Rules inside a Japanese detention center are EXTENSIVE and strictly enforced without exception, controlling even the smallest details of daily life. You are expected to follow instructions exactly, including how you sit, move, and even when you are allowed to speak. Talking is only allowed when permitted, and communication is restricted to Japanese only. You cannot lie down or rest outside of designated hours, even if you are exhausted. Lights dictate your day, and you are not allowed to cover your face or block your eyes from the light even while sleeping. Showers are limited to once every five days on a fixed schedule. Meals must be eaten exactly as instructed, and nothing can be saved for later. You cannot look into other cells, make noise, or attempt to communicate with anyone nearby. Personal items are not allowed, and everything you have ( tissue and a wash clothe) must be layed out and inspected multiple times a day. There are no visitors, no privacy, and no freedom to make basic choices about your own routine. I wasn’t even allowed to use my blanket as a pillow, sleep on top of one of my blankets to give my body some extra cushion against the hard floor, take off my socks, wet the wash cloth with water, or put tiny pieces of tissue paper in my ears at night to block the noise (got in big trouble for that one). They even controlled which position/direction i could sleep in. They have rules for things you would never think aboout. It’s a lot to know and the only way to learn everything is just by trail and error so just be prepared to make a lot of mistakes and get yelled at a lot.
Typical Daily Schedule
6:00 AM – Wake up, lights on
6:30 AM – Roll call/ Cell inspection, morning routine (tenco)
7:00 AM – Breakfast (delivered through door slot)
8:30 AM – Fresh air/ brush hair, put on lotion and chapstick ( in an enclosed room that has a window leading outside on the ceiling that lets in fresh air)
ALL MORNING – Sit quietly in assigned position, possible questioning/interrogation
12:00 PM – Lunch
3:00 PM - Roll call/ cell inspection
ALL DAY – Continued sitting, silence, possible questioning
6:00 PM – Dinner
9:00 PM – Lights out, sleep
Schedule can vary slightly by facility, but this is the general structure. Although this was the schedule we often had may variations such as dinner at 5:00 PM instead of 6:00PM. If it is your day to take a shower Instead of allowing for that time in your long boring day you’re instead woken up early at 5:00AM to shower. Wake up time is listed as 6:00AM but truthfully you’ll be awake from 4:00AM due to all the noise. The same goes for bed time. They truly ensure you feel as many hours of the day as humanly possible.
THE FOOD
I cried one time. I arrived just before lunch time and when they slide me my first meal the tears just fell. 3 pieces of white bread, a few plain, cooked, cold pasta noodles (no sauce) and a bowl of hot water… ON THE FLOOR! Along with a used pair of disposable wooden chopsticks that shou'ld’ve been thrown out after their first use. I couldn’t believe this was real. It was as if I was found guilty of the highest crime known to man. They don’t even feed felons in a maximum security prisons this poorly. There was also a small fried croquette filled with various mystery items served with every meal. For the first 10 days I couldn’t even stomach the thing but with time I became too hungry to be picky any longer. Lunch was bread but breakfast and dinner they served rice. With Breakfast you could chose miso soup or tea so I had miso soup for breakfast everyday (only) which held me over for about 30 minutes. Dinner was similar to breakfast minus the soup. Everything is served cold and must’ve been prepared by a special catering company because it’s actually impossible to make food that tastes that bad, it had to of been done on purpose.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IN THERE?
Inside the cell, there is almost nothing you are allowed to do. You do not leave unless you are being taken for interrogation, meeting a lawyer, or for the brief, tightly scheduled moment to use the “fresh air room” to brush your hair in the morning. The rest of the time, you remain inside the same confined space. Reading is one of the only permitted activities, but even that is restricted to specific times and controlled conditions. Some facilities only allow Japanese books, and if you bring one in another language, it must go through inspection and translation before you are allowed to have it, which can take time and may even cost money. Writing is not freely allowed either. You cannot keep a notebook, and to use a pen you must request permission and fill out paperwork, only to use it for a limited period. Beyond that, there is nothing. No entertainment, no distractions, no way to pass the time. You are left alone with no one to talk to in an empty room with nothing to do but sit, wait, and endure. I passed the time by day dreaming and walking in circles which i would do on average for 4 hours a day until my knees hurt too much to continue. Keep in mind i was in a cell alone due to my health condition but the majority of others were in cells with multiple people making it impossible to move around. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I wan’t able to walk around in circles each day, I feel it was the only thing keeping me sane.
HOW THEY WEAR YOU DOWN
Food: Small, plain AWFUL meals with no choices, no snacks, nothing extra
Sleep disruption: Bright lights, strict schedules, constant noise, uncomfortable bedding, never being fully rested
Isolation: Alone in a room with no human interactions or comfort
No outside world: No windows, no fresh air, no sense of time or day
Mental exhaustion: Long, empty days with nothing to do but sit and wait to be interrogated or yelled at for something
Strict control: Every action, movement, posture, and word
Language barrier: Forced to communicate only in Japanese
No stimulation: No phone, no music, no distractions, nothing to escape into
Relentless routine: The same long, repetitive days over and over with no break
Your life outside being disrupted: Missing work, bills, family, friends, events, pets etc. The world going on while you’re stuck in here.
All of it works together to wear you down mentally and physically until you feel completely drained.
For me the order of most to least effective methods of torture would be:
MOST TO LEAST EFFECTIVE:
No stimulation/ mental exhaustion: Having nothing to do everyday all day more over a month was truly unbearable No outside world: i’m already a very outdoorsy person but not being able to look out a window or see the sky for such a long period of time was shocking detrimental to me mental health Outside life: I was so worried about my cat at home. She’s very shy and anxiety riddled, she only likes me and was being negelcted while i was stuck here for something i didn’t even do. not to mention my busy work life and all the things i had going on at the time. Food: I have health issues and need to eat a pretty specific healthy diet. noth only was the food disgusting but pain pasta noodles and white bread everyday does not offer any nutritional vaule. More than the food beiing bad it was just not enough my stomach growled pretty much all day every day especially all night. Sleep: The obvious disrespectful attempts to be noisy at night made me so frustrated i wanted to cry. I adveraged about 1 hours of sleep a day for the first week.
TIPS
Contact the embassy when you’re arrested! They can come visit you, explain the situation and facility as well as communicate your needs with the place and contact your family back home. They can also provide you with useful information and a list of attorney’s they recommend. Thanks to them I was able to be transferred into a cell by myself due to my health condition which was a huge help!
USEFULJAPANESE WORDS & PHRASES:
Even if you speak Japanese the vocabulary used in this situation could be unfamiliar to you. Here are some common words and phrases used in the detention facility.