Japan: Please Think About SA Cache Hides

[+mullyman]

Guys, the new Tomei expressway opened in April and immediately caches started popping up in the service areas. I'm totally fine going to look for a cache at a SA, but some of the locations of the hides makes me wonder what the person was thinking. There is one that is in such a spot that it makes it almost impossible to go after it unless it's the middle of the night. It's on the side of the main building. There is a metal staircase that is directly in front of the parking, windows, and smoking area. There is a door at the top and the bottom of the steps and staff randomly come in and out of that door without warning. Not to mention that there are cars parked, literally, within 4 meters directly facing the stairs. I've gone for this cache twice already, which hasn't had an FTF yet, and both times I was sitting in the smoking area waiting for over an hour for a good chance to go poking around. It was impossible. The only way to go after that cache is late at night when no one is around. If you have children you could probably get it by having them go play by the steps. No one cares about kids playing around. An adult poking around there would be extremely suspicious. BTW, the hint says that this cache is magnetic and the GPS location shown on the screen makes it so that staircase is the ONLY spot it can be in. There is nothing else there that a magnet would stick to.

 

The worst part of this cache hide is that there is PLENTY of space and places around this SA to hide something. Why this person chose this particular spot is beyond me.

 

So, to all of you that hide caches in Tomei service areas, please look around and THINK about location. Stop hiding the caches next to the buildings and behind Coke machines where people aren't supposed to be walking.

 

Thank you,

MULLY

[+stijnhommes]

Perhaps it's a good idea to contact the local reviewer and discuss the possibility to make this a nightcache or at least have a warning put up about the extreme presence of non-cachers.