Lenton58 

And another cyclist!? Maybe it was a zombie moment — unthinking twittery. A person with no discriminating taste or care — not caring about anyone else either as you said. A mint Cinelli? That beats mine, mate!

Dawes-man

I've only just caught this thread but I feel for you, Lenton. That's such a crappy thing to have happened to you!

Had I seen the kid do it I would have had no hesitation in grabbing him and asking passersby to call the police while I restrained him. My 33 years of martial art training makes me good at such restraint but without that confidence I would advise against it. Instead, I think it's better to just call the police and take a photo of the culprit if you have your mobile with you. As you know, and point out, slapping the culprit is not a good idea, either morally or for the effect it would likely have on your residency. A rule worth knowing here is that the first one to raise a hand is at fault.

I have to say that acts of petty vandalism seem much more common here than in the other countries I've lived in - Spain, France, Switzerland and the UK. On the other hand, theft and robbery are much less common here, except perhaps compared to Switzerland. It's common to see bike and motorbike saddles which have been cut with a cutter. Ask people and you might be surprised at how many have had their tyres punctured or simply let down. Another little trick is setting fire to bike covers, hence the wide availability of covers made of fire ******ant fabric. I don't know what it is. I agree that it's nothing to do with any kind of resurgence of nationalism. I think it's related to the relentless pressure to conform here and the lack of forums to express dissatisfaction.

Rather than hate these kids I tend to feel sorry for them. Of course, they have to be held responsible for their actions, both in terms of compensating their victims and being punished, but I thank the heavens that I don't feel like them.

You seem to be handling it pretty philosophically, Lenton, and you have my support in that. I hope you find some way to repair the damage. Perhaps the gouge could be filled with JB Weld or some such epoxy glue and then painted over?

Good luck!

Lenton58 

Dawes-man:
I appreciated all your comments and understanding, but the underlining [mine] stands out as something to actually meditate on. If I were to get thrown out of this archipelago, I would be in very deep ****. I was keenly interested in your observations and experiences in regards to "petty vandalism", especially since your long residency here has been set alongside your experiences in other countries. I believe the reason you provided goes a long way towards explaining the situation. An endemic and long-lived collective social frustration was described by Karel van Wolferen in his memorable book many years ago.*

I teach at one institution that has a large parking lot set aside for bicycles, scooters and motorcycles. I notice that all the high end motorcycles are parked nearest the security gate house day after day. And, there is a permanent uniformed guard patrolling there at all times. I used to think that this was rather over the top. I am watching the mail daily for the arrival of a Vitus decal set that should help a lot to cover the damage.

* The Enigma of Japanese Power