The most unforgettable day of this trip to Japan was born.

I came to Japan with a chipmunk🐿️, and after the WebX event, I took the chipmunk to Atami. Since I had been sleeping on tatami for the past few days and didn't have enough sleep, I fell asleep as soon as I got on the train.

When I arrived at the station, I went to get my suitcase, got off the train, bought a return ticket, and took a taxi to the hotel. It was only when I felt very light that I realized I had forgotten my backpack🎒 on the luggage rack of the Shinkansen.

A rush of sweat immediately came out; my cash, credit cards, debit cards, passport, and laptop were all in the backpack. I felt like the sky was falling.

But then I thought, my phone was still in my hand, I didn't have much cash in my bag, I could report my debit and credit cards as lost, my laptop didn't contain extremely important content, and in the worst case, I could go to the Chinese embassy to get a temporary passport. Overall, the loss was limited. Once I thought through these things, I felt much more relaxed. However, it was still all my assets; although there wasn’t any extremely important information on the computer, many of my memories were stored in it. Reapplying for a passport and getting a flight back to Singapore would be delayed, and the most troublesome part was that the keys to my house were in the bag.

Then I used Chatgpt to translate my description for the Atami station staff. Actually, the English of the station staff is quite good now, but just in case, it's best to communicate in Japanese.

After explaining the situation, the staff gave me a flyer that had a QR code. Scanning it leads to a form to report lost items, but it needs to be done through Line, which I don’t have. The staff asked me for the hotline for retrieving lost items. My SIM card was from Singapore, and in Japan, I could only access the internet but couldn’t make calls, so I had to obediently download Line to fill out the form.

The download was slow. After downloading, I registered an account and started filling out the form, all in Japanese. Fortunately, the staff helped me fill it out, communicating the details of the lost item in English. Just as I was about to finish, another staff member came over and understood that this was a recent occurrence.

Here’s the communication issue: I didn’t express clearly that I had forgotten my backpack just moments ago, and the first staff member thought it was a situation from yesterday, which is why they had me fill out the form. Once they realized it had just happened, they asked for my train details. At this point, I must say that the advantage of Japanese train tickets is that there is clear purchase information (not just a receipt), so the train schedule information is all available. I remembered the carriage and seat number, so I could quickly pinpoint it.

The Atami station staff helped me contact the train crew for that service. The call was quickly answered, but it seemed like it could only be confirmed when the train stopped. We waited for about 20 more minutes; the Atami staff confirmed with me that my luggage had arrived at Nagoya station and that I needed to go there to retrieve my backpack.

Atami is about an 80-minute JR ride away from Nagoya. I also asked the staff if it was possible to have it delivered; their suggestion was that the fastest way was to retrieve it myself.

Once I thought about how my passport was still in the backpack, even though it could be replaced, it still meant a long night ahead. I boarded the JR train to Nagoya, with my credit cards still in the backpack. I had just over 8,000 yen on me, which was just enough to buy a ticket to Nagoya.

The ride from Atami to Nagoya takes 80 minutes, but it would take 120 minutes to return to Atami from Nagoya. I felt helpless. Yes, at the lost and found in Nagoya, I successfully retrieved my backpack. But why would it take so long to return to Atami? I wouldn’t arrive back until around 20:30. I calculated that from when I left at 13:00, I would have spent nearly 7 of the 7.5 hours on JR, basically the distance from Singapore to Tokyo.

Overall, the station staff in Japan have a strong sense of responsibility. They don't find it troublesome when faced with difficulties, and their English proficiency has improved a lot since I came last year. They are very patient with people and work quickly, not neglecting anyone just because of language barriers. Almost all the staff I encountered used an iPad Mini for translation.

I am very grateful to the Atami station staff. I wonder if they can see this, understand it, and comprehend my grateful feelings. The three staff members spent half an hour helping me, which was very touching, and I am very thankful 🙏.

Today, I was able to safely retrieve the black backpack that I left on the train.

Thank you very much to the Atami station (@JRCAtamiSta @ataminews), Nagoya station (@JR_Nagoya), and everyone at JR Tokai who assisted me!

Throughout the whole process, they were very kind and meticulous, and I am truly grateful 🙇‍♂️.

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