Juuuuust curious.

[zeus777]

Greetings fellow Fiverrians. Here's my random post for today.

Yesterday I was talking with my student, and somewhere along the line I mentioned Alcatraz. Yup, the famous ( was "infamous" though back in the day though I guess)
floating prison of a fortress near San Francisco. My student was into true crime but surprisingly she didn't know about Alcatraz and the case of the three inmates escaping. 
I somewhat had the impression that it was one of those cases that was well known all around the world. 

So it made me wonder....How many non-US people here know about the Alcatraz prison break?? Is it more a generation thing? My student is 23 or so, so maybe she's too young. BTW despite the image of Japan being such an oh-so-safe country, we have plenty of freaks in my country too. I wonder if there are any infamous unsolved cases in Japan that are well-known around the world. 

(I hope this post isn't "inappropriate"... if it is, I apologize in advance to the moderators)
 

[mariashtelle1]

2 hours ago, zeus777 said:

How many non-US people here know about the Alcatraz prison break?? Is it more a generation thing?

Of course, it’s quite famous. Non-US person here 🙋‍♀️ But I’ve been living abroad for quite a while and at this point I’m not sure if I heard about it in my teen years or after I left my home country 🤔

[moikchap]

I'm Canadian, and know of it through Mythbusters in the early 2000s attempting the presumed method of breakout. There was also "The Rock" movie around that time, so Alcatraz had some extra zeitgeist spotlight time for Gen X and Millennials. Probably older generations know more about Folsom Prison due to Johnny Cash and younger generations probably know more about Rikers Island due to The Division video game and recent controversies making the news.  

I don't know any japanese unsolved crimes. I only know of one solved one, because it still gets a lot of media due to it's horrific nature.

[wp_kid]

I'm from South Asia, I know about alcatraz prison, but I know it as Clint Eastwood fan, he has a movie on Alcatraz prison escaping. 

[laurens_designs]

I've been to San Fran many times but didn't know about the escape LOL!!!! I live in the US too. haha!

[zeus777]

5 minutes ago, moikchap said:

know of it through Mythbusters in the early 2000s attempting the presumed method of breakout.

YES!! I loved that show and that episode so much.

 

6 minutes ago, moikchap said:

because it still gets a lot of media due to it's horrific nature.

Hmmm...let me make a wild guess...is it about the * cough cough * found in the toilet? 

BTW I know there were movies about that place and the escape, I think "The Rock" is a famous one too, but I'd never seen those. Maybe I should give it a try.

Like @mariashtelle1, I can't really tell when I first heard about the escape, I did watch the Mytbusters episode but I'm sure I already knew about it when that episode aired. I used to live in San Jose which is about an hour away from San Fran but I never went to Alcatraz. 
I know you have to take the boat to get there, but sadly I have terrible motion sickness, if the boat ride lasts for more than 15 minutes I'm out. 🤮

 

[moikchap]

4 minutes ago, zeus777 said:

is it about the * cough cough * found in the toilet? 

No, found in an oil barrel filled with concrete.

[zeus777]

7 hours ago, moikchap said:

filled with concrete.

Hmmm....I...hate to say this but Japan has had a good number of cases involving concrete...I might have an idea of which one you're talking about 😅

So, have you been to Alcatraz? Is it worth checking out??

[breals]

I visited Alcatraz in 2012 and thought it was amazing.  I am from the UK and we love anything to do with prisons and crimes. (Or that might be just me) 😀

I don't think until you're on the island do you realise how big the swim is to the mainland, especially when you look at in the currents.  

But Clint Eastwood is a true legend, so I'm not surprised that he swam it 😀

[strategist_ceo]

11 hours ago, zeus777 said:

I wonder if there are any infamous unsolved cases in Japan that are well-known around the world

There are a number of fascinating stories from Japan, but I am not sure of any unsolved cases. There are interesting ones, such as Hisako Nakamura, Nippon Airways Flight 61, Kiyotaka Katsuta and the Tomioka Hachiman Shrine family fight. It is also interesting to see how culture influences the way people think or act.

Does the Totoro case count as unsolved? (known as "Sayama incident", it was given the name Totoro and is how I remembered it... I don't even know the movie, lol)

There is also one involving the biggest bank theft but I forgot the details.

Edited November 6, 2022 by strategist_ceo

[zeus777]

2 hours ago, breals said:

you realise how big the swim is to the mainland

I've heard people say that. It looks like a "swimmable" distance when you see the photos and you think huh, no wonder the inmates thought they can somehow escape, jump into the water and swim away to freedom...only to dr*wn or get sh*t.

 

 

2 hours ago, strategist_ceo said:

the biggest bank theft

Ohhhhh yes, the infamous 300 million yen incident!! There were movies and dramas that were made based on that case ( I think it appeared in an anime too once).
I guess some lucky dude got away with tons of cash!

[jonbaas]

15 hours ago, zeus777 said:

Yup, the famous ( was "infamous" though back in the day though I guess)
floating prison of a fortress near San Francisco.

Floating? To my knowledge (as an American who loves American history), Alcatraz Island is firmly connected to the bottom of San Francisco Bay. 😉 

[zeus777]

Haha, true, "floating" sounds like the entire prison is on a boat! My bad.
I'm assuming you've been there too?

[miiila]

5 hours ago, zeus777 said:

Haha, true, "floating" sounds like the entire prison is on a boat! My bad.

 

7 hours ago, zeus777 said:

I think it appeared in an anime too once)

Oh, I know, a Ghibli creation, Howl's Floating Prison, wasn't it! 😉

[zeus777]

3 hours ago, miiila said:

Howl's Floating Prison,

Ooooooh yes, love love LOVE that masterpiece!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[jonbaas]

9 hours ago, zeus777 said:

I'm assuming you've been there too?

Not in person, no, but I am greatly familiar with the island via other historical sources.

[ozan_erdi]

Turkish here. Yes we all heard about alcatraz. Some of us even wondered and watched some documents about it. Even my Mother and Father knew, which they learned about it before the internet. I remember my father being excited about it being a seperate island and telling me about it, when i was like 9 or something.

Altough we may not now spesific events happened there, but we all know the concept. Its very well known. If you dont know about it, you may be frowned upon.