<p>As the comment says, it is basically that one is not allowed to sit in the back of a truck (Not sure how to call it properly in English, <em>truck bed</em>?).</p>
<p>As <a href="https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1114839231" rel="noreferrer">this question in Japanese site</a> suggests, the law is as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>When the bed is empty, no person is allowed to sit there</li>
<li>When there are some stuff, one person is allowed to sit there for holding the stuff.</li>
</ul>
<p>I don't know the legal basis of it, but I remember my friend (law major) (ab)used the second rule and traveled in the back of a truck holding an unnecessary bicycle, so I guess it is legally true.</p>
<p>As per the rules, Satsuki may be able to make an excuse since there's stuff, but there is no excuse for Mei, so they hide.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-06-13T15:00:58.467Z
But the loads on the truck seem loosely tied and would probably already violate contemporary road safety laws. I am guessing that because the persons riding on the back of the truck are underage, the driver might get suspected of child trafficking?
Gao
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-06-14T13:16:11.813Z
@Gao Well, by context, no. For the loads, I don't think that can be an issue then Although there's no official setting, Totoro is set in 1950s according to Wikipedia. At that time, the current traffic law didn't exist. In that sense, perhaps hiding due to the violation of 'at most one person' is an anachronism, too. For child trafficking, they can explain so that hiding does not make much sense.
sundowner
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-06-13T08:57:23.310Z
2024-06-13T08:57:23.310Z
sundowner
<p>At the beginning of <em>My Neighbor Totoro</em>, the family are driving when Satsuki sees a man up ahead riding a bicycle and wearing a blue outfit. With some urgency, she tells Mei to hide. After they pass him, Satsuki realizes (according to the English subtitles), &quot;It wasn't a policeman,&quot; and the girls cheerfully wave to him.</p>
<p>When I first watched the movie, I thought the family might have some reason to be afraid of the police, but no such reason is ever mentioned. So what does this little moment signify? Are the children scared of a policeman simply because he represents an intimidating authority figure? Or is there some cultural or historical context that I'm missing?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-06-12T12:52:46.310Z
Hmmm..... maybe because they're not supposed to sit in the back of the vehicle with all that stuff packed. Plus, it's usually dangerous for children to ride in the back of that kind of vehicle with all that stuff packed. If you know what I mean.
Henkyo
<my-neighbor-totoro>
Why do Satsuki and Mei hide when they think they see a policeman?
# Why do Satsuki and Mei hide when they think they see a policeman?
Posted by: username_0 on 2024-06-12
At the beginning of *My Neighbor Totoro*, the family are driving when Satsuki sees a man up ahead riding a bicycle and wearing a blue outfit. With some urgency, she tells Mei to hide. After they pass him, Satsuki realizes (according to the English subtitles), "It wasn't a policeman," and the girls cheerfully wave to him.

When I first watched the movie, I thought the family might have some reason to be afraid of the police, but no such reason is ever mentioned. So what does this little moment signify? Are the children scared of a policeman simply because he represents an intimidating authority figure? Or is there some cultural or historical context that I'm missing?
**Tags:** my-neighbor-totoro
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hmmm..... maybe because they're not supposed to sit in the back of the vehicle with all that stuff packed. Plus, it's usually dangerous for children to ride in the back of that kind of vehicle with all that stuff packed. If you know what I mean.  
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## 1 answers
### Answer by username_2 on 2024-06-13. Score: 6 | Accepted answer
As the comment says, it is basically that one is not allowed to sit in the back of a truck (Not sure how to call it properly in English, *truck bed*?).

As [this question in Japanese site](https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1114839231) suggests, the law is as follows:

* When the bed is empty, no person is allowed to sit there
* When there are some stuff, one person is allowed to sit there for holding the stuff.

I don't know the legal basis of it, but I remember my friend (law major) (ab)used the second rule and traveled in the back of a truck holding an unnecessary bicycle, so I guess it is legally true.

As per the rules, Satsuki may be able to make an excuse since there's stuff, but there is no excuse for Mei, so they hide.
> **Comments:**
> **username_3** (2024-06-13): But the loads on the truck seem loosely tied and would probably already violate contemporary road safety laws. I am guessing that because the persons riding on the back of the truck are underage, the driver might get suspected of child trafficking?  
> **username_2** (2024-06-14): @Gao Well, by context, no. For the loads, I don't think that can be an issue then Although there's no official setting, Totoro is set in 1950s according to Wikipedia. At that time, the current traffic law didn't exist. In that sense, perhaps hiding due to the violation of 'at most one person' is an anachronism, too. For child trafficking, they can explain so that hiding does not make much sense.  
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