I read this story in "Strange But True: A True Life Japanese Reader" this morning as I waited for all routines completed/test results for my medical check-up. (Yup, the medical-check up I need to undergo as required by the Japanese Embassy for my Mambusho's scholarship...) I thought this one worth a re-told in my blog.
So, here goes:
It was midday during a dry spell in the rainy season when F, 61 came from Zushi to visit the home of her daughter-in-law S, 31, in Setagaya. "Since I'd already come as far as Shibuya, I just dropped by to see my grandchild"
For S, her mother-in-law was more frightening than a demon. S did everything she could to be a good hostess for F. Later, her mother-in-law took S's daughter for a walk.
S breathed a sigh of relief. As she relaxed, S felt hungry, and her eyes suddenly came to rest upon a bag of doughnuts that her mother-in-law had bought at K-nokuniya, a luxury supermarket nearby. F had said that she was going to take the doughnuts home tu Zushi.
S thought at first, "I really shouldn't touch them." But hunger is stronger than reason. She opened the bag and found six doughnuts inside.
"Maybe she won't notice if I eat only one," S thought. She hurriedly ate a doughnut and carefully reclosed the package.
F returned from her walk none the wiser. Quite satisfied with herself, she left for home, carrying the bag of doughnuts.
But sure enough, when F returned to Zushi, she noticed one doughnut was missing. That's when the trouble started.
"I can't believe that, of all the stores in Japan, K-nokuniya would make such a mistake!" F immediately called K-nokuniya to complain. The call dragged on for 30 minutes. F was too much for the person in charge at K-nokuniya.
The first thing the next morning, clutching a single 80-yen doughnut as if their lives depended on it, the sales clerk and the floor supervisor came to F's home to apologize. One way, it had taken them more than 2 hours. When asked, the sales clerk said she had left home at 5 o'clock that morning.
F was greatly impressed. "That's K-nokuniya for you!" she said.
She spread the story around to her friends and S. Of course when S heard what had happened, her face turned deathly pale.
She has firmly resolved to take the secret to her grave.
- Original Japanese selection from "Dekigotology' by Shukan Asahi © Asahi Shimbunsha
4 comments:
a'kum.we can pick up at least 3 things from that article.1) mother-in-law is the LAW, don't ever, ever do anything that she don't like, coz you're not going to win. 2)japanese customer service is superb, i can attest to this as i've been there for several years. but then sometimes scandal such as using expired ingredients did happened :( 3)S is smart to bring that secret to her grave :p. anyway, good luck on your mombusho scholarship. they give you GOOD allowances and all.Really envy those who get it.I mean nearly 200000 yen per month! tu kalau tukar tu dah nak dekat RM7000 sebulan! fuyyoo.... kayo makcik hehehe :p
kalau dapat gi jepun, cuba mintak kawasan utara cam hokkaido coz the scenery is amazing. sejuk gila je la tapi.
-zakzak-
Zakzak: I can agree with all 3 points :-)... Tq for ur doa - mambusho research student scholar dpt 180,000 yen per month. sounds like banyak - tapi kalau dapat, i'm planning to save for a good car (5-doors RAV4 ke) untuk bawak balik mesia. so, kene jimat2 gak... tq for your suggestion too, but i've chosen waseda, kobe & nagoya as my preference. still, i've noted down hokkaido as a place to visit laa...
that's an impressive customer service. good luck with your monbusho application.
nectar: hai, arigatou gozaimas :-)
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