Ed Brill

So in announcing my recent nuptials, a number of the wonderful comments wished us well on our honeymoon.  I very much appreciate the sentiment and am pleased to report that we had a great time.  See, that vacation last month was the honeymoon.  I believe we are on the cusp of a new trend, take the vacation before the wedding.  It can only help keep everyone relaxed on the big day.  Not that we were ever stressed (much).

While I could bore you all with many stories from that trip, one sticks out that was amazing.  We flew Japan Airlines for a couple of segments.  On the outbound, I realized while in the immigration line that I had left a magazine aboard the plane in the seat-back pocket...as it happened, a copy of Conde Nast Traveler.  It was far too late to go back and retreive it, and not that important.

A week passes.

We approached the counter to check-in for our return flight.  After the agent swiped our passports, he said, "just a moment, please".  He returned a minute later...and handed us my Conde Nast Traveler magazine.  

I told this story the other night to my Japanese friend Yoshi.  He didn't blink.  See, I've been told that the Japanese find the idea of losing things saddening, almost painful.  I found this old article in the New York Times:

"I feel uncomfortable holding another person's money," Mr. Hirahaya said "I think many Japanese people feel the same way and hand over something they find. I think among Japanese there's still a sense of community since ancient times."