Boys and girls, have I got a story for you! Here's a taste of the brick walls you run into occasionally when you try to do anything outside the box in Japan...live and learn, right?
Yesterday was a beautiful day and I was ready to hit Tokyo for some gift buying, etc. On my way to the train I stopped by the post office to mail mine and my sister's walking sticks from climbing Mt. Fuji back in August. These sticks come up to my chin and I had taken the time to carefully wrap them and prepare them to be mailed. I walk in and up to the counter, here's how it went down:
Bethany: Good morning, can I mail this please?
Clerk #1 (or じゃまな人 1 for you Japanese readers): Just a moment please, I need to measure its length first. ........
I'm sorry, but I'm afraid it's too long and we can't mail it.
Bethany: You can't mail it at all?
Clerk #1: We can't mail it, it's too long for our regulations.
Bethany: Well then what should I do? How do I mail it? Please, this is really important.
Clerk #1: I'm sorry. We can't mail it, it's too long.
Bethany: I understand that, but how do I get it to America? (side note: no way I'm taking those things on an airplane!)
Clerk #1: We just can't do it, it's too long. Can you cut it in half?
Bethany: NO! They're Mt. Fuji walking sticks, they're really important!
Clerk #1: Just a moment please....
**Clerk #1 proceeds to call another co-worker and her superior to the rescue. They step aside for a few minutes and discuss the issue. The boss makes a telephone call behind closed doors. He steps back out to talk to me**
Boss: We can't mail this, it's too long.
Bethany: *internal feelings* AAHHHHHHHHHH!!!! how can you NOT mail something that is packaged?!?!?!?!
*actual words* I don't understand. What am I supposed to do then? I need to get these to America!
Boss: Let me measure it again. .... Yes, I'm afraid it's too long. We can't mail it. Can you cut it in half?
Bethany: NO!
**By now, I had already dug in my heels. I was not about to leave until they found a way to mail the sticks. I'm sorry, but I just had to be an obnoxious American for once. I thought about calling a Japanese friend to talk to them on the phone, but then decided I might have an advantage without that.**
A few minutes pass, of no one saying anything at all, and me starring them down. FINALLY! I hear the hallelujah chorus in my head...
Boss to clerk 1: Well, check with the EMS company, aren't their rules a little different? .......
Clerk 1: Yes, it looks like this might work. Is this company ok?
Bethany; YES. Please!!
Clerk 1: Ok, the price is 2,400 yen (*that's a little less than $24*), is that ok?
Bethany: Yes, anything is fine.
**After it was all finished I walked out backwards, bowing all the way to the door, excusing myself (in my head for being a foreigner) and thanking them over and over like any good Japanese person would after they've really been a burden.
A day in the life of a foreigner in Japan. This wouldn't have happened to a Japanese person (unless they were really strange), because the Japanese person would've known about the rules and never even thought to break them. :-) I was exhausted after those twenty minutes!
5 comments:
Well done, Bethany! :)
thanks, becky! you know what i'm talking about i bet :-)
I'm glad you were able to mail the walking sticks! That must have been rather annoying trying to have that problem and trying to figure out a way to get it sent.
Talk to you later!
i just don't understand why you didn't want to carry them on the plane...
to the anonymous comment....haha! with all my OTHER luggage? i think not. i'm assuming that was a sarcastic comment :-)
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