It was returned!!... Only in Japan. (I think--post your opinion below!)
It was over 2 weeks ago that I lost my camera. That night was slightly rainy, and I was running to catch the last train... ...and somehow the camera (in it's black case) must have jostled out of my pocket. The next day I went back to the station, and with the help of a Japanese friend, I reported it lost.
By all accounts, this camera was gone, and I mean "bye bye" (to use a direct quote). We all knew it: the gruffy police man (who barked instructions about the lost item form), my Japanese friend, and even me.. we all figured it was gone. Heck, I even bought a new camera that day!
But lo and behold, I got a call from the police station yesterday. The camera was found! Come to the station!
We Are Serious Police Figures
I gathered my Japan Foreigner ID, passport, and the original box that the camera came in, with serial number, as instructed by the original gruffy policeman. But through the front door of the Yotsuya police station, past the plastic "police people" figures with moving LED banner sash, the lady behind the "Lost items" desk seemed ready to give it to me without all that. I guess my long description was detailed enough that they KNEW it was mine.
It's great to have it back--especially the photos! But who knows what they thought when they looked through the memory. Intermixed amidst typical snapshots--sunsets, friend's new baby, blurry party shots--were some of my quasi-artistic moments like the ones below. I wouldn't be surprised if they thought "What was he thinking?" "Does he really need this back?"
Semi-Artistic Subway Photo #1
Semi-Artistic Subway Photo #2
Anyway, I'm very pleased. We're all one happy family again. I'm abundently outfitted with cameras; my backpack floweth over.
My Camera Family: Older brother (left) and Younger brother (right).
Soon to come, Part 2: "O-REI." That's when I contact & thank the guy who returned it. Along with the camera, the police station gave me a form with his name & info. Apparently, in Japan the tradition in this case is that I give him a gift, worth 10% of the item returned. Cool eh?
Question: Would you expect this to happen where you live? I might expect it in a real real small town in the US, but not a big city!
3 comments:
Nice link, Bill aka "the chronek"! (It's the same link he put, but now clickable for my lazy readers) I especially like Table 2 on page 17.
Christina: yeah, for returned cash, 10% cash "OREI" is the standard. For a camera, my man in Japan says the amount isn't well-defined, and simply a call to offer a little gift snack/cake/think would suffice. If he's a student, I'd offer to buy him a beer. The decision has not yet been made. I'll report more in Part 2.
According to Bill's link, it's actually a LAW in Japan to pay 5-20%! The police lady said "I think it's a good idea." Then again, I don't know "it's a law" in Japanese...
cong!
"Gift" reminds me of the Japanese drama 電車男, where a romantic love affair starts from the present of Hermes cups...&_&
Waiting for Part II.
Wow, I am impressed!
I know I got my purse back (after someone took my cash and threw it in the bush) but I didn't expect the digital camera to be back. Good for you.
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