[UA] Japanese Toilet Money

[Bastien Pilon]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/070712/odds/odd_japan_toilet1_dc


TOKYO (Reuters) - An elderly man nearing death who wants to give
something back to the world, or just a prankster?

The mystery of who is leaving envelopes of 10,000 yen ($82) bills in
men's toilets at government offices around Japan has gripped the
nation this week despite the existence of far weightier issues, such
as a looming election.

Since April 9, some 4 million yen ($32,720) has been found in men's
rooms from the northernmost island of Hokkaido to the southern island
of Okinawa, Japanese media say. Virtually all has been found in
government office buildings.

The bills are individually wrapped in traditional Japanese "washi"
paper with the word "remuneration" handwritten on the outside in ink.

Each comes with a handwritten letter in formal wording evoking
Buddhist language, saying the giver hopes the money will be "useful
for your pursuit of knowledge."

Newspapers have devoted lengthy articles to speculation about the
identity of the unknown benefactor, and the mystery dominated evening
news programs Wednesday. One domestic news agency even sent out urgent
alerts as the number of bills found mounted.

The only thing everyone agrees on, given where the money is found, is
that the person leaving them is a man.

The wording of the letter suggests a man with strong religious beliefs
to some experts quoted in the media, while others think he is a former
civil servant trying to cheer those in the same job, often the target
of citizen anger.

Still others believe the message may actually be a sarcastic reproof
telling civil servants to clean up their act.

Handwriting experts say the letters are all written by the same
person, whose shaky handwriting suggests somebody elderly or seriously
ill, and note that the writing has worsened over the months since the
first set of bills was found.

"The fact that the letters end with the phrase 'please be happy'
points to somebody who's unhappy themselves -- who's perhaps facing up
to their death and wants to give something back to the world," the
Asahi Shimbun quoted one expert as saying.

But others think the man is a prankster who wants to create a stir in
society while remaining unknown. Their proof is that the envelopes are
left in toilets -- which lack security cameras.

The money has been handed to the police, but if nobody claims the cash
within six months it will be given to the finders.

($1=122.20 Yen)


-- 
Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the
forces of evil...prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom,
no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Eat
leaden death, demon...
 - Terry Pratchett

"It's a sad fact that there are a lot of people out there whose first
reaction to anything miraculous, wondrous and new consists of two
questions. The first is 'Can I have sex with it?', closely followed by
'Can I make money off it?'"
 - Dirk Allen