Comments on: Losing an iPhone in Japan http://iphoningjapan.com/blog/2008/12/losing-an-iphone-in-japan/ The latest information on the Apple iPhone in Japan Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:23:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Cailean http://iphoningjapan.com/blog/2008/12/losing-an-iphone-in-japan/comment-page-1/#comment-87 Cailean Mon, 16 Mar 2009 05:46:41 +0000 http://iphoningjapan.com/blog/?p=17#comment-87 Unfortunately for me, I've lost two wallets in Japan in six years and have gotten neither of them back. I guess if they were found, there was more value in just taking the contents for themselves than turning them in. Unfortunately for me, I’ve lost two wallets in Japan in six years and have gotten neither of them back. I guess if they were found, there was more value in just taking the contents for themselves than turning them in.

]]> By: Joseph http://iphoningjapan.com/blog/2008/12/losing-an-iphone-in-japan/comment-page-1/#comment-5 Joseph Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:11:00 +0000 http://iphoningjapan.com/blog/?p=17#comment-5 Your Bambi eyes have won me over!<br/><br/>Thank you for your story, and the gentle kick back into reality.<br/><br/>I do appreciate that it is of course down to the individuals involved in cases like this, and they are not obliged to act in accordance with any national stereotype. Sometimes, I think reading all that Edwin Reischauer at uni (in order to criticize it) had more of an impact on my subconsious mind than intended at the time! Your Bambi eyes have won me over!

Thank you for your story, and the gentle kick back into reality.

I do appreciate that it is of course down to the individuals involved in cases like this, and they are not obliged to act in accordance with any national stereotype. Sometimes, I think reading all that Edwin Reischauer at uni (in order to criticize it) had more of an impact on my subconsious mind than intended at the time!

]]> By: Orchid64 http://iphoningjapan.com/blog/2008/12/losing-an-iphone-in-japan/comment-page-1/#comment-4 Orchid64 Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:10:00 +0000 http://iphoningjapan.com/blog/?p=17#comment-4 About 30 years ago, my mother and father went to the Bahamas on a trip she won as part of a contest (as my family was far too poor to afford such a thing on their own). While walking around there, she found a wallet with $800 in it. Thirty years ago, that was a hell of a lot more money than it is now (probably about 8 iPhones worth) and she went out of her way to track down the owner and return it to him. <br/><br/>Despite being a dirty 'merkan and a very poor one who could have used the money at that, she returned the property because it was the ethical thing to do. <br/><br/>Please, please, please, and I'm begging here with my best version of Bambi eyes, don't start saying you don't believe such things would happen in your home country or other places around the world. Don't undermine the rest of the planet in that way as it diminishes their potential on a macro level and fails to expect the best of each one of them on a micro level. People are amazing in that they will rise to an occasion or falter based on the expectations of those around them.<br/><br/>Honestly, when people start saying things which allude to the possibility that only the Japanese are this honest, this kind, this polite, this whatever, it fills me with despair. About 30 years ago, my mother and father went to the Bahamas on a trip she won as part of a contest (as my family was far too poor to afford such a thing on their own). While walking around there, she found a wallet with $800 in it. Thirty years ago, that was a hell of a lot more money than it is now (probably about 8 iPhones worth) and she went out of her way to track down the owner and return it to him.

Despite being a dirty ‘merkan and a very poor one who could have used the money at that, she returned the property because it was the ethical thing to do.

Please, please, please, and I’m begging here with my best version of Bambi eyes, don’t start saying you don’t believe such things would happen in your home country or other places around the world. Don’t undermine the rest of the planet in that way as it diminishes their potential on a macro level and fails to expect the best of each one of them on a micro level. People are amazing in that they will rise to an occasion or falter based on the expectations of those around them.

Honestly, when people start saying things which allude to the possibility that only the Japanese are this honest, this kind, this polite, this whatever, it fills me with despair.

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