lavandeira.net

Something you see very often on the Internet are people talking about things they know nothing about, or intentionally just posting information they know is wrong (these are know as trolls.) It happens very often on online forums, or in the comments section of news sites. From time to time I join the conversation in order to clarify. And to prove that I’m smarter and always right, of course.

Today I went to Shinjuku and ended up inside Tokyu Hands. This is a chain of big stores that sell a variety of products: from furniture to joke articles for parties, fitness equipment, kitchen tools… And there’s where I saw something that reminded me of a discussion on Slashdot a few weeks ago. In an article about Japanese police asking ISPs to block Tor exit nodes, a guy named ShanghaiBill started spreading bullshit about restrictive laws banning owning axes, requiring licenses to own scissors, and implying that it is illegal to own a knife with a blade longer than 5cm:This is obviously not true, but I didn’t waste my time replying back then.

Keep reading for the rest of the post…

However, this is what I saw today in a corner in Tokyu Hands (sorry for the bad lighting):

So yes, you can pretty much buy big knives, without permits of any kind. It’s difficult to see in the photos, but some of these are big enough to cut off a troll’s head without too much effort.

And what about the ban to own an axe? I’m sure they’re also available in Tokyu Hands, either in the gardening section or in the tools floor. Since I didn’t check earlier, I’ll just see whether I can buy an axe online. Let’s say… Amazon:

So yes, there’s a pretty nice selection that I could order right now if I wanted. Not illegal, as you can see.

Next time you see someone online saying that you can’t buy these in Japan, feel free to refer them to this post.