Lost and Found in Kyoto
Sherry and I went to Kyoto, Japan, to visit the incredibly beautiful Golden Pavilion. We took the high-speed train from Tokyo and arrived several hours later in what is a surprisingly authentic Japanese world. Yes, Geisha’s walking the streets lined with original Japanese architecture and filled with ever-polite Japanese people. None of them speaking a word of English, which is okay but can be a problem when you don’t speak a word of Japanese.
Bram with local students
We made our way by taxi to the Golden Pavilion, or Kinkakuji, an impressive structure overlooking a large pond, and now a Zen temple whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. The temple once was the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death in 1408. A rare visit to make, and we were in awe walking in and around this palace as if being back in the past.
Three hours later we strolled out of the gardens to the street to stroll back to the train station. “You have my purse, right?” says my wife. “Your purse? I never carry your or any purse ?!” “Well, I must have left it in the park. “
We went back to the Pavilion and searched and searched but no pocketbook to be found. Mind you, that included her passport, credit cards and who knows what else my wife had hidden in her bag. Now what? Can’t even ask people for help as none of them speak a work of our language. We were frustrated and this is where travel experience comes in handy. Knowing that no one around us spoke a word of English, a travel agency might offer a way out of our predicament as there they likely spoke our tongue. Ah, our train tickets! They had the name and phone number of the Tokyo agency that helped us get the train tickets. Why not call them to ask for advice, as I did, and the quick response was as simple as it comes…: “go back to the street of the Pavilion’s gate and look for the nearest small police station; they might be able to help you.” We found it hidden between some old homes and walked inside….
Bram and Sherry at Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavillion
Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavillion
For a moment, we were completely dumbfounded as there on the policeman’s table were the contents of …my wife’s pocketbook. All of it! While the taxi woman who drove us earlier that day and the police officer were writing down all items. An extensive list. My first thought was: try this in New York! We were, of course, delighted and with hand gestures and my passport, we were able to convince both heroes that the handbag was my wife’s. I pulled out my wallet and took out a hundred-dollar bill to hand to the taxi driver. What happened next showed we were in a very different culture indeed….
“No, no,” said the police officer in broken English, “you would commit an insult to Japanese people by giving reward. This is taxi women’s obligation to society, as these things were not hers, and without them, you would have suffered great problem.”
Sherry at the Golden Pavillion
I hope you enjoyed that story, it's truly an honor to share our stories with you. Our next episode will be about Sherry jumping off the Jimmy Hackett bridge in New Zealand, the place where bungy jumping was invented. She is one heck of a woman! And many more thrilling things happened on that trip.
Ready to share your own cherished memories? Submit your story by using the form below! We can't wait to hear your unique experiences and celebrate the power of memories together.