There are many things I dislike about Japan, but then there are also many things I do like. If you lose something somewhere and you have a pretty good idea of where you may have lost it, there is a very high probability of you retrieving that item.
On the morning of Thursday, September 5th, I was making my way as usual to work on the train. I stood in the middle between the first and second doors of the first cart of th train. This spot is usually empty as students and some adults too cram just before the doorway. This is one of the things I detest while traveling in Japan. Nevertheless, I stood at my usual spot and I saw the usual group of people. There was one man who I always saw sitting by himself but this morning, it appeared, he was deep in conversation with a friend. I noticed how much more lively he seemed. His friend sat to his left and a female student sat to his right.
The man and his friend got off at the usual station which I knew the man always came off at. I was standing all this time but wasn’t fortunate enough to secure one of those seats. If I remember correctly, a male student copped that seat.
Several stations passed and then the next station was the final stop. By this time the seat to the left of the female student was once again unoccupied. I noticed a black item partly revield beneath her navy blue uniform skirt. I thought it must be her phone, but then I realized her phone was in her hand. It was quite common for students in particular to have their phones in their hands. But I decided not to jump to conclusions. I thought maybe I should gently point it to her attention. But I decided against this also.
The train was coming to a halt and I tried to delay my exit just to see if when she stood she would realise something was missing. I started to go out ahead of her and as weird as I knew it would feel, I kept looking back. By the time she finally got up, I quickly turned back and pointed to the black case clad smartphone resting openly on the seat. The student proceeded to advise me that it was not her phone, but then decided she should take it to the station master’s office. At least that’s what I hoped happened because I didn’t stick around to find out.
The following Friday morning, I took the train at the same time and stood at my usual spot in the middle of the first cart of the train. This time I stood in front of the man I would normally see. He was alone this morning. I knew I was guaranteed a seat if I stayed right there. As I stood there and glanced at his face, I somehow thought his expression looked questioning and a little worried. I thought to myself that maybe it was his phone and he was wondering where he may have lost it. I tried to think back to the many times I saw him and tried to remember if he normally had his phone in his hand. But I couldn’t remember.
I got an idea to use the Japanese translator on my phone to ask if he had lost his phone and also tell him where it had been taken. I was afraid he would ask me a question in Japanese which I couldn’t answer, so this idea seemed great. But then after writing the message, I was afraid to show it to him. The longer I stood there, the more fearful I became. I started to look around and I saw the female student who had taken the phone to the station master’s office. I had to show him the message.
It was getting closer and closer to the man’s stop so I decided once I heard his stop announce I’d show him immediately. I did just that. His face lit up and he told me thank you just as the trained came to a stop at his station. Relief flooded my heart but I was so nervous afterwards. I took his seat and my mind started to race again. What if…?
As I started to record what happened I started to question whether it was his phone or it was the male student who had filled the seat after his departure. It couldn’t have been the student, I reasoned because they always have their phones in their hands. I then wondered, did the female student actually take the phone to the station master? She must have. I hope she had. I hadn’t decided to ask her about it that morning.
It was the weekend too and so I would have to wait until Monday morning to know if the phone was retrieved or not. I hope for the best, bracing myself to handle what may come. Will the man be saying thanks or asking questions?