The Trials of Naivety

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Tired of dirty old men. Thought going to Osaka Castle today would be a safe, pleasant experience but was wrong. It was indeed a beautiful place and I was really enjoying myself walking through the park, taking pictures of the castle and such until Mr. Mori decided to stop by. At first, like always, I thought he was just a nice old guy. He offered to take my picture for me from the "Numba 1" photo spot at Osaka castle. He then asked if I'd been inside the castle and I said no, too expensive, just taking pictures was good enough for me. He then offered to buy an entrance ticket for me. I said no thank you but he insisted and of course, like the dork I am, I thought he was just being nice. Needless to say, the moment we got inside the castle he decided he wanted to hold my hand and tell me how pretty I was every five seconds. He kept breaking out his camera and taking pictures of me. Unfortunately the castle was so crowded inside that I couldn't easily escape. Other visitors kept looking at me funny, as I'm sure there was apained expression on my face. Realizing this was not normal generosity I felt sick to my stomach and didn't enjoy the castle whatsoever. Down the 10 flights of steps to the exit I plotted my escape, feeling like an absolute idiot. He kept babbling at me, showing me this and that and I pretended to understand. I have a feeling I may have agreed to something unknowingly. Sigh. Once out of the castle he wanted to show me the plum and cherry trees. He asked if we could go to another garden so he could take pictures. He then asked if I was hungry. I told him no thankyou, I have to meet my mom at the nearby train station in 15 mins and that I needed to leave. He then told me how amazing my Japanese was and said he would escort me to the station. By then I knew it would be harder to shake him than I thought. He still insisted on holding my hand even though I kept hinting at how hot it was and trying to walk away. He asked me if I was married or had a bf. I don't think he cared what my answer was any way. He kept trying to take me the long way to the station, through tree covered areas. Under a plum tree he declared his love for me and gave me a hug. Unfortunately his head only came to my neck and the wanker thought it'd be prime time to kiss me there. Pissed off, I kept my cool. Dirty man now has a bunch of pictures of me at Osaka castle. I feel like an IDIOT. If you are alone and female, and a short, old man at Osaka Castle says he will take your picture in numba 1 spot and email it to you, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! What bothers me the most isn't the fact that he basically violated my space/ trust just because I was foreign, but that I basically allowed him to. I had no idea what he was saying half of the time and I was far too trusting. I could have easily run away at anytime but it is so hard to decipher who is being genuine and who is being rude. It is so easy to make excuses for people's actions when you don't fully understand the culture. When he wanted to hold hands I just thought it was because he was old and needed help with the stairs, or that maybe it was just an old person trait. When he wanted to take photos I just thought he was being nice. When he wanted to take me into the castle I just thought he was being generous again. It wasn't until it was too late that I realized he was a complete creeper. Looking back, there were many signs.
1. Public displays of affection, including holding hands, is not common in Japan.
2. He had a season pass for the castle. (prime stalker gear)
3. He kept saying I was pretty.
4. He kept trying to lead me places. (I thought he was trying to teach me more about the location, but I later realized they were all secluded areas.)
5. While he was showing me something on his phone I saw many pictures of other girls on it. (By many I mean at least a dozen.)

So ladies, word to the wise, if it feels wrong, IT IS! Don't put up with it. Walk away. Don't be afraid to be rude. Don't give in to flattery, or feel that you need to accept the offers of others in order to be polite. That was my downfall. Lesson learned, disaster thankfully avoided. Still feel a tad violated but I'm going to try and forget it happened. I have no idea what he's truly going to do with all the photos he took of me but thank God I was fully clothed and in a public area! Hopefully I will never see nor hear from him again but if he does indeed email me the photos I'll post some.

In conclusion I should have known better!

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