When I was told by one of the Spring Airline officials inspecting luggage at the Narita Airport in Tokyo that one of the 4 bags I had brought from Ghana contained something illegal, my heart missed a beat. I was panic-stricken. I thought, "yaanom" had announced their presence in my bag, by turning into some dried leaves or powdery substance. After a few seconds, I gathered some courage and asked what exactly it was and in which of the bags? I was brought my brown bag to open it as their scans detected something unpermissible in it.

When my faith in Christ soared to convince me that no powers of "yaanom"' could be greater than the power of the holy spirit, I was settled that it couldn't be cocaine or marijuana. However I asked rhetorically, what at all could it be that the scans in Kotoka International Airport in Ghana missed, the Addis Ababa Airport in Ethiopia made me go through with and even the Seoul Airport in South Korea also allowed to pass even when we had stopped over for a technical check.

Ah! Well; let me open my luggage before the inquisitive eyes of the Spring Airline officials, I did and to my surprise, what the scan detected as unpermissible was my HAIR SPRAY...I had bought from the Kantamanto Cosmetic shop on Ghana. I was told to either let the hair spray stay at the Narita Airport and I continued my journey to Hiroshima via their airline or I remained in Tokyo. According to them, though the TSA permits some pressure cans and aerosols on airlines, as far as they are categorised as toiletries, eg. deodorants, hair sprays, shaving creams, perfumes, etc. Yet to engineers and Japanese technical officials there, it could still leak, ignite or even explode when there are changes in the pressure and temperature on the airline (though very rare), as a result, they will not take chances and allow it regardless of where it had traveled from.

What a blank truth, I retorted!

After flying for 19 hours from Ghana, through Ethiopia, to South Korea to Tokyo, Japan, and being overly exhausted, it was only wise I heeded to them to dispose my hair spray so we can arrive in Hiroshima peacefully. I did but grudgingly, my discontentment with the decision made the 1 and half hour trip from Tokyo to Hiroshima seem longer than the 19 hours I had spent traveling from Accra to Tokyo.

I was absorbed in many engaging thoughts on the flight. I asked myself could the Japanese be absurdly disciplined and law abiding or they are simply racist? No sooner had I spent a week in Japan than I found the answer to be the former; Japanese are simply law abiding and disciplined people who learn from their mistakes. They also make laws to prevent further recurrence; an attribute my Ghanaian country is yet to learn.

After I was relieved of the journey's tiredness, I decided to get some utensils so I could start preparing homemade food for my children. I visited the 'Daiso - 100 yen shop', to buy a knife after I had bought a saucepan elsewhere. I searched the shelves for knives but didn't find any. I asked the first attendant who pointed to the "invisible knife"...for a moment, I felt I was watching, ("Kyeiwaa - a local Ghanaian movie centred on the antics of witches)

I asked a second attendant who also pointed to the "invisible knife." I checked the cases and there were no "real knives". At this point I felt the language was a barrier so I google translated my request into Japanese and asked
この店の包丁はどこにありますか. For the 3rd time, I was taken to the "invisible knife"…then I burst out, "but there are no knives in this case?" He replied "yes, FOR SAFETY REASONS ONLY THE EMPTY PACKS ARE HUNG FOR SALE, if you request for one, the real knife is then brought for you as you walk out, so you don't hold or keep the knife with you in the shop after buying it."

"I see!!!" I exclaimed, "but why?" I asked curiously, then I was told the story of a man who while traveling on a Bullet train, fatally slashed a passenger with a knife and seriously injured two others. The train was immediately brought to an emergency stop and the killer was quickly apprehended. However aside the sense of fear brought in the country by the senseless loss of life, something else changed in the aftermath of the killing: the law; this is the gist of it: You don't go out with a knife which has a blade longer than 6cm.

Interestingly, the strict rules on knives and blades that followed after the incident in Japan were not enforced like laws in my home country where all Ghanaians live in George Orwell's Animal farm; with the "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others" mantra. Hence the laws in my Ghana home, 'if there is any', catches only "local, poor, non- political and vulnerable proletarians" leaving the rich, powerful, friends and bootlickers of the government and bourgeoisies" to champion the animal kingdom hymnal, "4 legs good, 2 legs bad" ...

Well since the law was not only sitting in books, it was enforced and it caught the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. It is recorded that a 74-year-old American tourist stepped into a police station to get some directions. It was discovered that he had a pocket knife on him. After being asked to produce it, the policemen measured it and found that it exceeded the allowed blade-length by 1 cm. The man was then detained for nine whole days.

Then there’s the case when a US Marine official stationed in Japan missed his flight back home because a 35-cm-long blade was found in his luggage.

Functional laws I acknowledged, only that I was surprised for Japan to be that strict about blades following one bad incident, when they are known around the world since time immemorial for their 'katanas'. I was later informed that since 1876, the famous Japanese swords - 'katanas' have been banned in public; one could obtain a permit to own one as a work of art, but it couldn't transcend beyond your house.

It is also said that in 2008, double edged daggers were specifically banned under a revision of a law after it was used during a massacre to murder 4 persons.

Wow! I exclaimed. Yes all human deaths are painful, equal to the offence - sacrilege and more especially if the death was International, as a result all human lives should be guarded jealously, I agree.

However if the death of 4 persons using a dagger in Japan is called a "massacre" to force such strict laws on knives and blades in a "country whose art is a knife" , then the total number of acid baths and knife deaths in my Ghana (who is not a major producer of cars, for acid to be sold carelessly like Yoghurt or a country who has won a gold award for displaying knives during martial arts competition) should be addressed as a "carnage" or a "genocide"; and that should change the careless nature the two "killers" are handled in Ghana.

Conversely, after the deaths of two prominent Ghanaians from acid bath : the former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Adams Mahama, and then a former legislator, J. B Dankwah Adu, whose death was from a knife stab we are told. The stories surrounding their deaths is only played like a tale without any significant action on how to prevent further deaths, the reason I make this assertion is because knives are still sold in traffic jams even at night, whereas acid is so cheap to buy from car spare parts dealers like buying fresh tomatoes in the Dome market during the abundant month of August.

With this article, I pray the disciplined spirit of the Japanese, their quest to change negative narratives, their legal force they speedily enforce so evil deeds will not be repeated fills my Ghanaian leaders to birth a revolution in Ghana so knives and acid will also be invisible in public places. If for nothing at all, these two men, J. B Dankwah Adu and Adams Mahama will rest in everlasting elysium knowing that their deaths were not in vain.

(I am the GHANAIAN villager that came to Japan)

Officially known as Afiba Anyanzua Boavo Twum.
Reach me via email [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/anyanzua

#Knives are invisible in Japan.
#make acid and knives invisible, to grant the late men Elysium.
#lets start a Ghanaian revolution.
#enough of unnecessary deaths.