On the way home last night from my recent trip (which I'll be posting about in the next few days), I lost my small sling bag.
The bag contains my wallet, my earphones, my white flower (yes, I'm so Asian and I use it when I feel dizzy! Very important item for me), and some small stuff. The sling bag and the wallet are both new, only a few weeks of using them since I just bought them during the New Year Holidays which I talked about in this post.
We were on the bus going back to Tokyo and at that time, we were all eager to go to the toilet. When we reached the service area, we were laughing at our one friend who was so excited to go out of the bus, and even other passengers aka strangers were also laughing at our friend's gestures. I also wanted to hurry up so I was not sure if, at that time, I was bringing my bag with me or not. I just know that even when I was seated on the last row of seats on the bus, someone else went out after me. He also didn't notice if I had the bag with me at that time.
When I got off the bus, I immediately went to the women's toilet. When I entered the cubicle, my phone was ringing and I had to answer it and told the caller who was my boyfriend I would call him back. I put down my phone and was so mindful about it because my boyfriend might call again. I remembered my phone and coat but couldn't remember if I put my bag there in the cubicle's area for stuff or hung it.
I met with my friends and we hurriedly looked for food to buy and bring on the bus. We decided on curry bread. When I paid for it, I figured I'd just pay using electronic money on my phone because getting coins from my wallet would be a hassle. That time, I really thought I was using my sling bag because I always have it with me during the entire trip. When recalling, my friend who was following me said I didn't have my bag with me that time in the cashier.
Before going back inside the bus, I stayed outside for a call. My friends already went inside. Just before 7:40 PM, I ended the call and entered the bus because it was time to go.
We only stayed around 10-20 minutes in the service area but during that span, I lost my bag, my wallet, my IDs, my credit cards, my ATM, and my earphones.
I remembered about my bag 10-15 minutes after we left the service area. I finished eating my curry bread at that time and I wanted to use my alcohol and my earphones. I noticed the bag wasn't in the place where I usually put it. I looked around in my seat, a little bit nervous but not panicking. I couldn't find it so I had to tell my friends. They're not the type of friends who would tease me with a prank so I was so sure they were not playing around with me.
My friends were not teasing me. They helped me look for it on the bus, some were even bending over to look for it under the seats and in the corners. But it really wasn't there.
Realizations came and all I could do first was to recall what had happened. Until now, I still couldn't recall when and where I placed it but I was sure it should be in the women's toilet. That's the only time I took off my things with me and placed them somewhere.
The next thing I did was to inform my boyfriend about it. We were making plans and said he would fetch me to the bus terminal in Ikebukuro but that plan's ruined because of the incident. I wasn't in the mood anymore to eat. I just wanted to go home right away.
My boyfriend was calling around - the company handling the service areas, the bakery where I bought bread, and the information center of the service area. It was past 8 PM so the information was already closed so had to wait for the next morning to call them. The staff from the bakery tried to look for it in the women's toilet but couldn't find it anymore. My boyfriend was so worried about me and he did everything he could, which made my heart melt because it's so rare for him to be so worried like this.
He told me though to not expect too much. The worst case scenario is I won't be able to get it back anymore. After making my heart melt, he hit me with reality. 😓
I felt helpless but not totally. Despite him saying that to me, I was 50% hopeful because THIS IS JAPAN. People are honest and your lost items would find their way back. My boyfriend even lost his phone last year and after 3 months, he got it back. So I was kinda hopeful my wallet containing my cards would come back. Also, it's a hassle to call the credit card companies to stop my credit card because I didn't know what to say in Japanese. 😅 I couldn't process it online because both of my credit cards were being renewed or upgraded.
The good mood and the excitement from the trip all vanished in an instant. What a great way to end the weekend! My friends were so worried about me and they've been very helpful. I couldn't thank them enough.
That time, I wished my earphones would have a location finder so I would know where it was. Sony WF-1000XM3 doesn't have this feature yet. Do you know any other Sony earphones with location tracking features? Sony should add this to their earphones.
I didn't have AirTag on my bag so I wouldn't able to locate it. Should I buy it? Hmm, I don't know now but on that Sunday night I was considering the thought.
During the bus ride home, I was so strong in front of my friends, not shedding even a single tear. I even guided them from the bus terminal to the train station but the entire time, I was silent and only said a few words. That's so rare of me.
But when I saw my boyfriend near home, I found comfort and my tears were about to burst even when we're still on the street. It seems like I was kinda weak in front of him and I just wanted to be comforted.
Today my boyfriend called the information center of the service area. Good news! My bag is there! THANK YOU JAPAN!
Now, I'll just have to go get it. But now, I have another dilemma which I'll be sharing a bit in my next post, including getting my belongings so I'm not totally back in the mood yet. Maybe when I get back the things I lost, my good mood will also be back.
Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.
