But this time I succeeded at resolving my failure nearly instantaneously!
Basically, today when I was getting off the train at Shin-Urayasu station on the way home, I hit my head on the doors on the way out, as I am apt to do since the doors are not exactly tall enough for a 6' 3'' gai-jin. In fact, though I make mental notes not to do so, I hit the doors or the grab bars or the handles pretty much about once a week.
And I ALWAYS hit my knees on their darn tables. That's really getting old.
But the unfortunate thing about hitting my head today was the fact that my sunglasses were on top of my head.
And in one of those slow-motion, I'm-watching-myself-in-a-movie moments, I nearly caught the glasses as they fell... right in between the train and the station platform.
I failed.
And so, I cursed Japan (since I already had a headache and was grumpy), and then reminded myself that, in fact, I was the stupid one for wearing sunglasses on top of my head when the sun had already set. And I chalked up the fact that my sunglasses were about to be crushed and gone forever as the train pulled away and I stood there in shock.
Which was exceptionally disappointing since these are my amazing "Nerds: The Musical" sunglasses from when I worked at HersheyPark that I've somehow managed to hold onto for 4 years until they were back in style like Ray Bans. And they were a costume piece I got for free and they have loads of memories.
Yet, when the train pulled away, there were my glasses, in one piece, laying between the rails and the platform on the rocks of the train bed. Only they were 4 feet below my feet.
Now I contemplated jumping down to retrieve them, or laying down on the platform and trying to grasp them with my long arms, which, if I was in New York, is exactly what I would have done. However, this being Japan, it felt like a rude and bad idea with so many people watching (not to mention unsafe) even though I knew, courtesy of the electronic display and timetables, that the next train wasn't scheduled to arrive for 7 minutes (which is definitely unlike New York).
So I went downstairs, and somehow described my situation to one of the station attendants with gestures and broken English, and lo and behold, he understood!
Then proceeded one of my favorite moments in Japan ever. Two station attendants came out of the office armed with a cell phone and a long grabber pole thingy. I'm guessing you know what I mean... one of those poles with a claw at the end that you squeeze a lever to operate and grab stuff with? Like trash pickerupper things?
Anyway, we geo back up to the platform and I went to show them where my glasses are, but they gently steered me aside because said 7-minute-later train was arriving. Once the train left, we found my glasses, and then one of the men starts talking on his phone while the guy with the pickerupper thingy just stands there.
At which, I must say, I was rather confused. I mean, my glasses were right there and he had the magic stick. So why wouldn't he grab them?
That was, until I figured out that he was calling his supervisor (or somebody) to tell them we were retrieving my sunglasses from Track 2 and to get proper clearance.
Seriously.
It took 2 men and a phone call to be allowed to grab my sunglasses with a claw on the end of a stick.
But we got said permission, the other man used his magic stick, and my sunglasses were solidly back in my possession, only 8 minutes after I had dropped them!
Which, considering my first attempt at retrieving a lost item at the station, seems pretty amazing by comparison with how smoothly and quickly it happened.
So there you have it. I failed at Japan and yet was able to solve the problem safely, without using my BGP whilst overcoming the language barrier quickly and efficiently.
I say that sounds like success!
Which, PS, could NEVER have happened in New York because we all know you'd go to the booth to tell them you dropped something and the person would say, "So? Sorry. Guess that sucks." You'd clearly have to jump down on the tracks risking your own life with no regard to rules just to see your stuff again.
So thank you, Japan. I don't mind that it took 2 men and a phone call 'cause I got my glasses.
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