Tokyo 2010 day 9: lost and found

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Woke up with a slight hangover this morning, after a few hours of low-quality sleep.  My intentions of hitting Kamakura (鎌倉) in the morning were completely blown, and didn't end up leaving the house until 1ish...

I hopped on the Yokosuka Line (横須賀線) and about 50 minutes later found myself at Kamakura Station (鎌倉駅).  As I was heading for the exit, I realized to my horror that my wallet was no longer on me.  I double and triple checked.  No wallet.  Did I drop it on the train, or on the floor of Shinagawa Station (品川駅) as I ran to catch the train?

I informed the station staff of my plight, and was handed a help line for me to call and report the loss.  I gave them a description of the wallet, the travel route and the exact train I was traveling on...and hoped for the best.  The station staff allowed me to exit the station without payment even though I couldn't produce a ticket.

I moped around the station a little, and soon receive a text message from the Cow.  Apparently someone had picked up my wallet on the train, and deposited it at Hodogaya Station (保土ヶ谷駅).  I thanked my lucky stars.

Eventually I made my way the Big Buddha (大仏) by bus.  It was just hitting 4:30pm and I missed my chance to climb inside the bronze statue.  Oh well...  I stick around a little and take some pictures in the warm afternoon light, and decide it's time to go and meet some friends at a house on the coast nearby.  On my way out I see a sign for ice cream, which would have been nice on such a hot day.  One look at my coin purse, however, told me that I couldn't even afford the ¥300 needed for this little treat... I've never felt poorer in my life...

I hop into a taxi and head for Hayama (葉山), where my friends are attending the housewarming for their friend's weekend beach house.  My friends picked me up and paid for the cab fare, and we proceed to spend the next few hours hanging out at a nice little house with partial ocean views.  Our host owns several restaurants in Tokyo, and comes down during the weekends to surf.  We are treated to some snacks and sweets in addition to light drinks.  Apparently the gang's been gathered here since noon and have been indulging in food and alcohol for a while...

The sun sets and I ran out to the shore to catch the last bits of light.  Mount Fuji (富士山) can be seen to the west across Sagami Bay (相模湾), now silhouetted against the sun that has set.  It was a pretty beautiful sight, and took some of the stress out of a day like this.

I stopped at Hodogaya Station (保土ヶ谷駅) on the way back, and headed to the station office.  I informed the staff about my missing wallet, and within 2 minutes I had it back in my possession.  All the cards and money remained in the wallet - exactly the level of honesty I had come to expect from the Japanese people.  I was very, very grateful.

Finally, the time had come for me to pop open the two little cups of Pierre Hermé sorbet that had been in the fridge since Sunday - and what a way to end this miserable day!  The Ispahan was pretty much exactly the same as the sandwich I had last week, with the rose, lychee and raspberry flavors coming together in perfect symphony.  The Satine was also really good, as the passion fruit and orange provided tart and tropical flavors, while the cream cheese added a little more thickness to the texture.  Slurp...