Have You Ever Been Lost In Tokyo? People Will Help You Find Your Way

I lived in Japan back in 1984 and 1985 while serving in the Marine Corps.  While there I took a ten day vacation around the main island and while in Tokyo I stayed in a rather nice hotel, unfortunately I forget the name. I was on vacation because my dad had come to visit me to try and convince me to not re-enlist in the Marine Corps and he thought that during the 10 day trip would be able to convince me to do pretty much anything except serve in the Corps.

We stayed in a nice hotel and did all the things that tourist tend to do. My father had his first experience with a squat toilet and ordering off of a menu based on pictures. We also got hopelessly lost once or twice and had to rely on a taxi to get back to our hotel.

The Older Generation

One day (like many) we were lost in downtown Tokyo. I stopped an older Japanese gentleman, about 60 years old. I asked, in my horrid Japanese, こんにちは。あなたが失われたの観光に役立つことができます (hello, can you help a lost tourist) and if he knew the museum that we were trying to find. I was able to ask directions, but I was not able to follow the answer that he gave me. I did understand that it was in the direction that we were heading, the opposite direction that he was headed.

After I obviously gave up on trying to understand and I had said the appropriate goodbyes I turned to walk where he had said and would just figure it out as I went along. The gentleman turned with me, took me by the hand and walked me down 2 city blocks, turned left and walked another block. At an intersection he pointed across the street and told me “One” and then “Left”. I asked (or at least I tried to ask) if I go one block and turn left and he answered “Hai!”

Dōmo arigatō sir, we found the museum that we would otherwise not have seen. I’ve often wondered why he helped me. A man in suit and tie, in his 60’s and obviously in a hurry stops to help the tourist. Was it because he was born between 1920 and 1925, prime age to be a soldier during the war, or are all Japanese just so helpful?

The Younger Generation

When we left that museum it was raining so we decided to yet again dare the Japanese metro, this time during rush hour.

I live in the Paris area, and the Paris metro system is no less complex than its Japanese counterpart, but in Paris the signs say things like “La Motte-Picquet Grenelle” and even if I don’t know what the words mean, I at least recognize the letters. The Tokyo metro uses Japanese characters. Of the two images below, which is easier for an American to figure out.

We got more or less to the right area and we could not find our way out of the metro (yes, stupid tourists). I was standing in front of one of the signs, with a blank look on my face I suppose, when a young lady, named Yuki if memory serves correct, approached me and said that it was obvious that we were lost. When she found out where we were going, she offered to take us to the entrance just across from the hotel.

We walked along the metro hallways and she practiced her English – excited that I was raised in Ohio because Ohio means “Hello” in Japanese. After a 10 minute walk we came to the exit, and it was still raining. Only people that have lived in Japan during the typhoon season can understand what a real rain looks like. To those that never had the experience, standing at the metro exit sort of looked like when I was behind Niagara Falls. The rain came down so hard we could not see the hotel that was just across the street.

My new-found tour guide said that she may be late for her job in a different hotel, but she would take us one metro station down the line because there was an exit that came out right in the hotel (see, I told you I was lost).

10 minute walk back to the metro, 2 minute ride and we were home. We said our goodbyes and promised that the next time we were in Tokyo we would stay at her hotel. She said that it was easy to remember because the hotel had a fleet of green Rolls Royce limousines.

The next day my dad and I were wondering the streets and happen to see the hotel that Yuki worked at. My dad had the idea to go in and speak to the manager and compliment Yuki on her being willing to help lost tourists.

We went in and asked for the manager, told our little story and explained that we would stay in his hotel on our next trip and we just wanted to thank him and his employee. The manager was very apologetic and ased us to wait while he got Yuki, becuase he had something to tell her in front of us. We waited and Yuki appeared, red-eyed, with her manager. The manager told us that because Yuki was late the day before he was oblidged to fire her, and he had just done so moments before. Yuki had been in the process of cleaning out her personal effects when we stopped in, saving her job.

Any Generation

I admit that this is just my opinion, but if you get lost in Tokyo, people are going to help you. No matter who you ask, people will help. One thing that really helps is to learn enough of the local language to ask for help, just the phrase “please help me” will probably be enough.

This story is inspired by the competition:

Win a Flip Camera in Our Travel Inspiration Competition

Summer is over so you may have a good “heart-warming” story to share with Fiveamtraveller. If you want to share your stories to enter the competition for the Flip camera the deadline is October 14th.

I like the angle of the Fiveamtraveller blog – it is for people who have to travel… the people that get up at 5am to catch their flights.

Many people begin an international career seeing travel as fun. The reality is often very long days that start bat 5am. When you are over forty 18-hour work days take their toll. I remember how lucky I felt when my telephone negotiating skills got me out of trips during weeks when I did not want to shorten my sleep.

This is the reason why Fiveamtraveller caught my eye… and @fiveamtraveller has some interesting tweets too.