It was a typical day and I was making my usual commute home.
Searching my pockets for change to pay the driver, I realized I was 30 yen short of the fare with only a couple of 10,000 yen notes left in my wallet. As the bus came to a halt at my stop, I quietly explained to the driver that I had only 340 yen in change and a couple of bills too large to change in the machine.
Suddenly, he grabbed the microphone on the bus and announced to the other passengers that I was short in change and looking for somebody to break an ichi man bill. The other passengers frantically went through their pockets and purses as the sound of change rattling echoed throughout the bus -- but to no avail. Then one passenger announced she had change for 5000 yen, while another called out to say she had two 5,000 yen bills.
The various bills were handed over as the bus remained at a standstill and sweat was dribbling down my face. I paid the driver and disembarked as my fellow passengers bade me farewell and the bus drove off a good 15 minutes behind schedule. -- Sokhanny in Japan
Keep sending your tales of life as a foreigner in Japan to [email protected]. Every fortnight, we'll publish a story sent in by one of our readers, and if yours is printed you'll receive a 2,000 yen gift voucher from Tower Records. Stories should be 250 words max.