The JGSDF springs into action

Last week, Jim (my roomate) and Beth (the new teacher) took a spur of the moment trip to Yamaguchi city. It was already late in the day and we arrived after dark; whlist looking for Rurikoji we became slightly lost. But, to our pleasant surprise, we happened across a Japanese Army (the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force) base. It was decided that, as the person least afraid of the military, I should ask for directions. The gate was about the size of a two lane road, with a spiked portable barricade in the center. The gate guard, and all the other soldiers I could see, was wearing camoflauge fatigues and a helmet. I walked up to the gate, waited for a bicycle and car to exit, then walked toward the guard. He saluted, I nodded back, and walked toward the office - at this point everyone became very surprised and alarmed. The exact thoughts running through their minds are, of course, a mystery to me; however I would suppose they were approximate to: "He walked past the guard! What'd we do? People aren't supposed to do that!" His CO ran over, to asses the threat I assume, and so I just asked directions from him. As we walked off I could hear them laughing at me.
I learned two lessons today, the first, as Jim so eloquently put it, is, "ALWAYS TALK TO THE GUY AT THE GATE!", the second, and aphorism of my own devising, "Where courage won't take you, obliviousness will."