Of Timely Trains and Forgotten Bags

Describing Tuesday (May 6, 2008) as a hectic day for one traveling cat would be an understatement.

On that day, I traveled between Osaka and Kyoto.

The good part?

I had a guide with me, who helped ensure that I was able to visit some touristy spots in Osaka which would not make me unhappy with just a one (1) day stay in that bustling city. At the end of Tuesday, I had at least 5 Kyoto shrines/temples, garden viewing, tea ceremony set and macha (green tea powder), free dinner, yummy strawberry cake and a Gion visit tucked under my garterbelt...ehem..I mean belt.

And...aside from a marathon visit to castle/temple in both aforementioned cities,  I was also  prepped with advance information so I could henceforth continue with my plan to visit the Kyoto Imperial Castle, geisha performances in a cultural show in Gion the next day and a trip to the manga museum, to name a few places.

The bad part?

I left one of my bags on the train going to Kyoto. I suppose since I had somebody with me I was a bit relaxed and only remembered the missing bag when I checked in at the Kyoto hotel I had chosen. The bag contained my tripod, leather jacket, castelle (Nagasaki cake) and some other food, and the brochures I had collected.

All of my available cash and credit cards were distributed among the other 2 locked bags and my usual purse so while I was dismayed at the idea of missing this other bag, at least I could continue on my trip without too much worry. I didn't bring a lot of cash as I was dependent on credit cards. In a country where many of its people still bring cash along with them which they use instead of relying heavily on credit cards, it says a ton of things of how safe and reliable an environment Japan has.

I was assured by my new friend and Kyoto-frequent-visitor Calvin and the JR train officials - the former told me that the bag would be found and returned, the latter told me they would contact me or the New Miyako Hotel I was staying in for news. Since Calvin already had a prior experience of inadvertently leaving his wallet on the JR train, well...he may be justified in his statement.

I admit I was itsy-bitsy-teensy-weensy bit skeptical. On the other hand, I was also 50% more optimistic than I was cynical at the idea of my bag being found.

Well, what do you know, I did get the bag and all of its contents intact after 2 days.

The first day I inquired at the JR Information desk in Kyoto station, I had Calvin to translate and ask for help. The next time I visited, even though different people manned the desks (volunteers who probably wanted to practice their English), they were quite helpful. With some lengthy exchange of English and Japanese sentences, I managed to get some good news (though I missed visiting some other sites and my Philosopher's Walk). I was amused by the elderly woman who attended to me...she smilingly told me that my Japanese was probably better than any English words spoken at the Lost and Found office when I asked how I could follow-up on my bag if I were just to venture by myself to that place. How polite and sweet of her...but yes, they do not speak English that much at the Lost and Found...so a note of warning to future lost-bag owners.

I could say my Japan trip was a compleat travel experience in the sense that I had this kind of incident happening to me.

In all of my travels and trips both local and abroad, this was the first time I left a bag on a public transportation vehicle. I was lucky though, that it happened in Japan.

Although my liking for Japan was spawned by my anime/manga interest, there are also a few things about Japan and its culture which do not appeal to me. Considering all I've experienced both good and bad during this trip, a very favourable impression was stamped indelibly on my mind with how this all turned out in the end.