I'm doing 27 things
That’s what Todd has decided to call the many moments of thoughtfulness we experience in this country. The Japanese people will always be synonymous in my mind with kindness and thoughtfulness. So many people really seem to think beyond themselves and to see the immediate needs of others.
First story: The evening the taxi dropped us off at home when we returned from Tokyo Disney, we stepped out of the car and were greeted by the joyful neighbor family. I was so happy to see them, their smiling faces and happy waves. So happy, I guess, that I left the backpack in the back of the taxi. The backpack contained my wallet, our passports, camera and all the other necessities we’d been keeping close at hand there.
All those things rode off in the taxi and I didn’t even notice they were missing until after I’d showered and was catching up on 43things. Todd and I searched for the backpack and determined we’d left it in the cab. I wasn’t a bit worried but just kept reading and cheering and posting away on 43t. The Japanese are notoriously honest as well as helpful and I knew our things would be ok. Todd called our support person at Honda and she called the taxi company we’d used to get to the station 3 days before. A driver for the company said we hadn’t taken his taxi home but said he saw us get into the car of another company. Keiko called the other company and they brought our backpack to our house, still safe in the backseat. Todd tried to pay him the fare for getting to our house but they wouldn’t accept it. Keiko said she figured as much.
Second story: On the way home from China Sunday, we decided we’d like to stop in Ueno and have lunch. So we went to a storage locker in the station and stuffed all our luggage in, hoping to get suitcases, backpacks and duffel bags in one 600 yen locker. As we worked on it, a station attendant came up and starting telling us, in Japanese, of course, how best to do it. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a 500 yen coin, got change from the machine and put the first 100 yen in the locker, talking the whole time. I put the rest of the yen in and then tried to hand him a coin to pay him back. He waved me away: “Service,” he insisted.
As we came out of the restaurant later it was raining harder and Sophie and I huddled together at the crosswalk, waiting on the light. A man next to us noticed and reached out to hold his umbrella over us. I smiled in thanks. Halfway along the crosswalk, he forced the umbrella into my hand and, saying something about going to the train station, he ran ahead. I called out, “No! We’re going to the station too!” but he was gone.
He gave us his umbrella.
Yes, we were back in Japan…and why would I ever want to leave?
