Frustrating Morning

This morning I went to the gym for my mid-morning aqua bootcamp class - like I have been doing for over five months now - but for some reason today was my day to cause a commotion with these:


Yup, 2 earrings earned me the third degree. I'd heard that tattoos were not allowed in many pools or spas, but I had never heard about the taboo on jewelry. I'd gotten in the pool and was waiting for the class to start when one of the gym staff called me over and started speaking rapidly in Japanese. Although I didn't understand everything, it was clear that my piercings were a problem. I pulled my swim cap (mandatory for being allowed into the pool) over my ears and asked if that was okay. Nope.

By this point I was gathering a crowd of people, and one of them said that my earrings could fall out and stab someone in the foot. I tried to explain that this wouldn't happen. They don't come out. One screws on and the other links into itself - they've been in place for more than 5 years now. That did not translate well, but it wouldn't have mattered if it had. In Japan a rule is a rule is a rule, no matter what.