watermellon picture trouble!

[Goldiegirl]

I am just a little peeved right now. I was shopping at a local grocery store in Kinshicho (spelling?) and I saw a square watermellon. I took a picture of it as it's not something I will see back home. We don't have square fruit. One of the produce workers came up to me excitedly and was really upset that I took a picture. I don't see what the big deal was. It's not like I was taking pictures of anything that would affect Japan's national security. It was a watermellon. There were no other people around. I waited for a quiet time as I didn't think it would be right to take someone's picture even accidentally. My Japanese husband has taken pictures in just about every store we have been to in the US, and never has anyone said a word to us. We have even taken picutres in Wal*Mart and they are really strict about people who price check. You know, write down prices to compare at other stores. I just thought it would be a neat picture for my family back home. It's not a big deal overall, but I am still angry. I have the picture and will post it when I can figure out my camera!

 

[undrentide]

Some shopkeepers do not like people taking photos of their shops or goods they're selling. It has nothing to do with national security.
I don't think it is something particular to Japan, similar things did happen to me both in Japan and abroad (in Asakusa, Tokyo and in Stuttgart, Germany).

To be on the safe side, it would be better to ask the shopkeepers if they don't mind taking photos.

 

[pika la]

If it helps at all... I've many times taken pictures of things in superstores, markets, clothing stores..in Canada... and every time was asked politely not to do so. (One time the storekeeper wanted PERSONALLY to watch me delete the picture of a giant chupa-chups lolipop I took ;___; )

I have no idea why, but I think it's a pretty common concept. Yea, if you ask there's a higher chance it'll be okay.

 

[FrustratedDave]

I would have told the clerk that I always take pics of my food before I buy it!

 

[Mike Cash]

Some shops go so far as to have at the entrance a sign indicating that photography is not allowed. Normally a silhouette of a camera with the internationally recognized circle and diagonal bar.

I agree that speaking to a clerk and saying that you've never seen a square watermelon before and would like a photo of one would have produced better results.

 

[KirinMan]

Maybe next time ask the store keeper to pose with the watermelon for an advertising shot that you were taking for the New York Times or some other "major" news publication.

On a more serious note I dont know if you are aware of this but recently in Japan there has been a trend by some corporations to mislabel their food products, writing things like 100% Japanese when in fact the product came from some overseas location, in most cases China.

Not to say that the product was "illegal" or anything but I have noticed in a local "yaoya" or vegetable stand/store that many items that are marked down in price actually are coming from China, where as "local" produce is much higher in price, and the store does not label the imported food as to it's location of origin.

Never know though, square watermelons came about in a response to ways to better methods of shipping, while the melons are small in size they are placed in square wooden boxes which shape the melon as it grows to maturity.

A bit off topic here but just out of curiosity how much was the price of the melon in the first place?

Plus would you pay 26,500 yen for 1 mango?

 

[Goldiegirl]

Speaking to a clerk would have made it better I suppose. Of course that would mean that I would actually have to know enough Japanese to speak to him, which sadly I don't. I was obviously a tourist. He was just so rude, that is what annoyed me. He could have quietly come up and said "no camera" right from the start, but instead ranted at me for a minute and then I finally said I didn't understand in Japanese and he shouted "NO CAMERA"! My husband took pictures at Graceland and that's not allowed and the security girl came up to him and reminded him that it wasn't allowed so please stop and enjoy the rest of his visit. That is respectful. I am so used to most Japanese being so polite and curteous that his behavior caught me off gaurd. Maybe he was having a bad day. I took pictures inside McDonalds, Mr. Donuts, Pizza Hut, Excelsior Cafe, Jusco, Starbucks, Am Pm and not once was I yelled at. They understood that I was a tourist taking touristy pictures. I wanted to show my friends what my daily life is like and where I go. It's hard to get a post card of a Lawsons.

 

[roninjapan]

Common sense

Just ask first..sometimes they say "Its ok!" but normaly they gonna say DAMME! any shop you go in Japan is very restrict to take pictures.if is a mobile phone sometimes they dont care.
(but never Bookshops they get really upset,you can read free but not take pictures)

 

[yukio_michael]

I work in a rather small retail store, and we don't allow people to take photos either... it's I think a pretty natural response... they have no idea what you're going to use the picture for.

On a somewhat related note... watermelon... I never want to see a 900en watermelon again! At least in the united states we have seedless watermelon!

ps. "Watermelon Picture Trouble" is the best title for a thread I've read recently.

 

[maushan3]

Some shops go so far as to have at the entrance a sign indicating that photography is not allowed. Normally a silhouette of a camera with the internationally recognized circle and diagonal bar.

This would be a really cool picture to take. How come I have never thought of taking pictures in supermarkets? Seems weird.

Mauricio

 

[KirinMan]

This would be a really cool picture to take. How come I have never thought of taking pictures in supermarkets? Seems weird.
Mauricio

Well on a different note more and more supermarkets are labeling their foods with cell phone scanable labels to let the customer know exactly where the product was procured from. This is an effort among the "honest" suppliers to show the customer that their product is what it says it is.

I can understand why some tourists would want to take pictures in a Japanese supermarket however, there are probably any number of unusual products that the customer has never seen before.

I don't understand why however a store would not want pictures of their products being taken unless they perhaps had something to hide.

 

[maushan3]

I don't understand why however a store would not want pictures of their products being taken unless they perhaps had something to hide.

Well, when you are a tourist gaijin in Japan, it is normal to find stuff that is bazirre for you, so it wouldn't be wrong for a gaijin to have the "wow" look on his/her face after they see a squared watermelon and take a picture afterwards, nothing wrong with this, I say.

But then, you might have a local who just keeps taking pictures of things at the supermarket, and it is just, well, awkward... I mean, it is rather strange to be taking pictures of some fruit or snack food and that's when it might be spionage by other companies who want to compete them and that's when the owner of the store or the clerk is in their very right to call the customer's attention.

Mauricio

 

[DoctorP]

Speaking to a clerk would have made it better I suppose. Of course that would mean that I would actually have to know enough Japanese to speak to him, which sadly I don't. I was obviously a tourist. He was just so rude, that is what annoyed me. He could have quietly come up and said "no camera" right from the start, but instead ranted at me for a minute and then I finally said I didn't understand in Japanese and he shouted "NO CAMERA"! My husband took pictures at Graceland and that's not allowed and the security girl came up to him and reminded him that it wasn't allowed so please stop and enjoy the rest of his visit. That is respectful. I am so used to most Japanese being so polite and curteous that his behavior caught me off gaurd. Maybe he was having a bad day. I took pictures inside McDonalds, Mr. Donuts, Pizza Hut, Excelsior Cafe, Jusco, Starbucks, Am Pm and not once was I yelled at. They understood that I was a tourist taking touristy pictures. I wanted to show my friends what my daily life is like and where I go. It's hard to get a post card of a Lawsons.

In the US, people have more rights...even foreigners. Graceland is not going to throw a fit in order to prevent bad publicity. However if he continued they would more than likely escort you out of the area.

I have taken photos though in stores...usually with my cell phone so that I could email my wife and ensure I was buying the correct product. I'm somewhat surprised that you had such a bad time, but occasionally these things will happen.

 

[Mike Cash]

I don't understand why however a store would not want pictures of their products being taken unless they perhaps had something to hide.

Corporate espionage, spying on the competitors.

I know that it is a problem with the eikaiwa mills. They send spies around to the other schools in town and scope them out.

Just last Sunday my wife and I visited a photo exhibition in which the owner of my neighborhood camera shop was one of the people displaying his works. We only went because of the 窶｢t窶堋ｫﾂ坂?｡窶堋｢ with the shop. The exhibition was at our city's Culture Hall, a marvellous and ostentatious waste of tax money, and afterwards we decided to go up to the top floor and enjoy the view of the city, such as it is.

When we stepped off the elevator we saw dozens and dozens of young kids running around. I glanced at the sign indicating what event was going on and noticed that all the local ECC schools were having a special event where they had brought in a foreign (British) teacher to speak English to the kids. The Japanese lady who seemed to be in charge of the whole shebang kept eyeing me and my wife suspiciously, most likely in the belief that we were sent there from Nova or some such place to spy on them.

 

[Goldiegirl]

Spying! Yes I am a watermelon spy! I went back to the store today and the poor produce worker seemed so suprised to see me, he shot me a quick sheepish look and disappeared. Maybe he understands that perhaps he was a little too harsh. Oh, sorry about spelling watermelon wrong! I guess I think it looks better with 2 L's. I forgot to check out the price on said melon, but I know it's in the hundreds, the 1/2 cantaloup was $75. I bought 4 bananas, a package of really tiny sized grapes (very sweet!) cherries, instant coffee, creamer and sugar, and I was shocked by the total.....$30.00. Those grapes were 10 dollars! Oh well, they were the best grapes I've ever eaten!

 

[Goldiegirl]

the famous picture....the whole picture is really pretty, but I can't get it to upload...it has to be resized and I haven't any idea how to do that!

 

[Sarapva]

A very nice looking square watermelon! I don't think I've ever seen square fruit before. Maybe if you praised the storekeeper for such an unusual (at least in the U.S.) and interesting thing, he might be softened a little?

 

[happy gaijin]

If it helps at all... I've many times taken pictures of things in superstores, markets, clothing stores..in Canada... and every time was asked politely not to do so. (One time the storekeeper wanted PERSONALLY to watch me delete the picture of a giant chupa-chups lolipop I took ;___; )
I have no idea why, but I think it's a pretty common concept. Yea, if you ask there's a higher chance it'll be okay.

What? I have lived in Canada all my life and still do, and not once have I ever been asked to not take pictures in a store or supermarket.