In Japan I got stopped, asked for my documentation, and asked to empty my pockets once. Was about to fly back to the US within a day or two and was trying to use up all the loose change I had accumulated during my 3 months. I guess a passing cop thought it was weird when I was counting it up outside (didn’t want to do it inside in line and hold everyone up).

Later, after living in Japan several years, got asked for ID, everything taken out of my pockets, and my backpack searched. I had gone from a bar to the convenience store and was headed back to the same bar. It was humiliating and infuriating. I’ve never been an English teacher, but I can’t imagine how that must feel to be a teacher and have the kids or parents go by. They had apparently received a tip that there were drugs in the area so were searching people. Apparently not only foreigners, as I ran into a Japanese guy who got the same treatment. They were polite and all but it was incredibly violating and basically put me off from wanting to interact with law enforcement here again (and I had previously turned in lost items to the closest police box on two separate occasions for people to claim).