#foundumbrella

I went through 5 umbrellas during my trip to Korea/Tokyo in 2014. Here are the interesting tales of each one, ending in me losing all of them.

1) I bought this umbrella as soon as I got off the airport train in Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan.  It was pouring out and there was a "Family Mart" right outside the exit.  My companions both had water proof jackets, but I, in m infinite wisdom, did not bring mine.  

I bought the 500 yen clear umbrella, which kept me somewhat dry (not at all dry) until we reached our hotel about 2 hours later after going the wrong directions, eating some ramen, and walking what seemed like half of Tokyo. 

After we settled into our hotel and dried off a little, we decided to run across the street to 7-11 and grab some late night snacks and booze.  I left it outside in an umbrella stand and 10 minutes later, when I came back outside, it was gone.

2) As I stood there, thinking of what to do, I just decided to take an identical one from the stand.  It looked the same, there were about 5 of them in the stand, and I surmised this round robin of umbrella stealing started before I got there and would continue long after I was gone.  I was right.  

I stood outside waiting for my friends to finish when a Japanese man tapped me on the shoulder, pointed to my umbrella and started speaking Japanese while staring me down.  I had his umbrella.  I sighed and just pointed to the umbrella, saying "THIS IS MY UMBRELLA."

He looked me up and down and then looked at the umbrella stand, grabbed an identical one, opened it and walked off.  

The second night we were in Tokyo, we went clubbing and we had to leave my umbrella #2 outside in a trash can a long with about 200 other umbrellas, most looking just like umbrella #2.  

3) 6 hours later, while we were walking into the morning sunlight, I looked over and saw a trashcan still half full of umbrellas.  Instead of looking for mine (it would have been impossible to distinguish), my friend grabbed two umbrellas from the trash can and we left.  Yes, she took an extra one.  And that is how I ended up with umbrella #3.  Identical to umbrella #1 and #2, save for the fact that umbrella #3 was not fully operational (I had to open it manually instead of pressing a button).

This umbrella was left at our capsule motel 2 days later, as we were in a rush to leave and get back to the airport.

4) Umbrella #4 was given to me by my sister.  It was identical to the cheap umbrellas #1, #2 and #3 (They sell these things everywhere in Seoul and Tokyo).  On my second to last night in Seoul, I went clubbing at Vanguard in Gangnam.  This place had lockers to store your stuff, no trashcan at the door for your umbrella.  I looked at the lockers.  Umbrellas were definitely not going to fit in there.  Then I saw that everyone was just laying umbrellas on the ground next to the lockers.  I followed suit.  I assumed even if mine was not there later, I would just take a different one.  6 hours later, I went back to retrieve and umbrella.  #4 was not there, as expected.  But what surprised me was that NO umbrellas were there anymore.  

5) I walked outside into the morning light and saw a drunk girl stooped over next to the entrance.  She had an umbrella...it looked like MY umbrella.  So I ask in Korean, Can I have my umbrella back?  She shook her head, pulled the umbrella away from me and then I felt a tap on my shoulder.  The man that tapped me said in Korean, that's my girlfriend.  I looked at his face, a pale guy with boyish features and a thin frame.  I told him in that his girlfriend has my umbrella.  He looked me up and down twice, grabbed the umbrella from his girlfriend, and then gave it to me saying, Sorry, please take it.  And that is how I ended up with umbrella #5.  Later, upon examination, it looked nothing like umbrellas #1, #2, #3, or #4.