"Wave Goodbye to the Warden!"

The front entrance as seen from the bus (no cameras allowed inside)

I can now say I have been to prison and come out of it on the same day! We had another field trip for our "Peace, Development and Democratization" class---to go see a men's prison. This prison was near Lake Biwa, on the other side of Kyoto in a place called Chiga. The facility was very clean, and we got to do a question and answer session with the warden, a very charismatic man, after a short tour of the place. The prison holds men, ages 26 and up (the oldest inmate being 82), for those who have committed their first offense---robbery is the most common offense. They stay in small eight tatami (straw mat)sized rooms, unless they request to have a room to themselves. The place is very over crowded, and there are often six to seven people in a room meant for four or less.
Some things I learned about the Japanese prison system, I will list them since it is easier for me:

1. The inmates work in factories everyday from 7:40am until 4:30pm, 5 days a week. Working these hours allows them three meals a week. If they want to eat more they can work extra hours. They learn to sew (the uniform and shoes the warden was wearing were all made by inmates), cut hair, or make things such as bento boxes and others.
2. There is no heat in the facilities, as it is expensive and is a fire hazard.
3. The inmates shower three times a week---unfortunately, we were not able to visit the bath areas today since it was occupied.
4. The facility has two main missions: most importantly, to punish the inmates for their crime; second, to give them the skills needed to be able to find work and assimilate back into society after their sentence, and to remind them they are people, not just prisoners.
5. The men are allowed 30 min. of exercise a day.
6. There are vocational classes for those who wish to work towards a degree.
7. One third of the inmates have only had schooling up through middle school (the required amount of schooling in Japan).
8. Crowding of the prisons across Japan has become an issue, due to the increase in the elderly population---many elderly people find prisons to be a safe haven for them if they have no one to take care of them.
9. The guards do not carry weapons of any kind---surprisingly,there is hardly ever violence to the extent of a riot (there is, however, fighting between the inmates, often due to the crowded spaces).
10.Only two or three prisoners tried to escape last year from a Japanese prison; it is not really an issue.
11. The crowding in the prisons can also be attributed to the increase in foreigners who commit crimes in Japan.
12. There is a TV in each cell; many men watch it daily during their free time from 5-9pm.
13. One is allowed to receive mail four times a month. All letters sent out must be hand written, and no computer access is allowed. Of course, everything is censored.
14. Pornographic material is allowed in the inmates' cells if they wish, with the exception of those who have committed sexual crimes.
15. Religious accommodations are made for the Islamic population, giving them time to pray each day and adjusting meals accordingly during Ramadan. Since most Japanese do not identify with a specific religion, there are no daily or weekly religious services, although Christian and Catholic priests visit once a week.

That's most of what I remember. As we were leaving, the warden stood outside and bowed to our professor inside the bus, who, in reply told us, "Wave goodbye to the warden!" :-)