315. The Narita Express

June 2 - 8, 2006 Japan

On June 2, 2006, I flew to Japan at the last minute, in an overnight flight from Changi International Airport to Narita International Airport. I had 4 mobiles phones. 3 phones with pre-paid phone cards (Singtel, Starhub and M1) and 1 subscribed to Singtel roaming services.

My Japanese contact text message (sms) me Ikekuburo's hotel address and tel number. After checking in, I tried to phone her. All four phones could not work. This was modern Japan. How could phones not work when I had no problem in Taiwan?

So, I walked into the Do Co Mo shop. The Japanese girls could not understand me but they referred me to a man who spoke English. "I am sorry. The only way you can use your phone is to go back to Narita Airport to rent a mobile phone from Do Co Mo as Japan has a different telephone networking system. Do Co Mo will connect you to Singtel at 700 yen per day."

At least the phone now worked. I sms to my Japanese contact. She had sms me several times to enquire where I was. Now that I could receive her sms, I told her I was in Ikekuburo, a beautiful town where the shopping centre under the Ikekuburo subway was at least 10 times bigger than the Takashimaya Shopping Centre in Singapore.

My Japanese contact would not phone me. She believed that it was not safe to do so as a phone call would reveal her location. We could only communicate by sms. I was on a special mission. She was to meet me if she was sure that it would be safe to do so.

I did not want to use my ordinary mobile phone as I knew it was tracked. She said it was "locked" and so I should not use it to sms to her. But now, the Do Co Mo girl put her right hand over her left hand. That meant "no". She said that all my 3 pre-paid cards were no use in Japan. So, I had to use my ordinary Singtel phone which was insecure in telecommunications.



"It would be secure to fax to me where to meet," I sms the Japanese contact. But there was no fax.

"Take the Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) to Shin Osaka now" I got the sms on the 3rd day of arrival. I had spent 2 nights in Ikekuburo. I was in Osaka by 3 p.m. She sms the hotel name.

Over the 2 nights in Osaka, my outgoing sms messages got blocked. "Sending in progress..." from Vodaphone Japan would show on the screen for hours. I sms to myself, to friends Starhub, to M1 and Singtel. I could receive incoming sms promptly but not outgoing anymore. Why?

So, I could not meet my contact. There must be a third party controlling the outgoing. Who?

"Go back to Singapore," my Japanese contact sms to me. "I meet you at Narita Airport." I did not want to stay the 3rd night in Shin Osaka. I pulled my carrier back from Shin Osaka Washington Hotel Plaza to the Shin Osaka subway. Booked a Nozumi Express train to Narita Airport.

The outgoing sms were not moving even when Japan Do Co Mo network took over Vodaphone as my train reached the subway called Tokyo.

From Tokyo subway, I was to catch the Narita Express at 1.03 p.m. I rushed to platform no. 4. A Caucasian woman in her late fifties was at the Platform 4. Young Caucasian backpackers with big bags were sometimes seen but I was surprised to see one in the late fifties with such a big bag and a right knee with protective braces after an operation.

We were glad to meet each other as most Japanese do not carry on an English conversation. A seasoned traveller who had been to Sri Lanka's beaches and missed death of the tsunami by 3 weeks. She was waiting at floor tile No. 12. So, I was there too but most people were waiting further to our left.

She was in Japan to attend a wedding of her nephew who married a Japanese girl. But her 35-year-old son had a kayak accident and she had to rush back for his funeral. I did not know what to say but could just give her a listening ear.

"The red Narita Express train had come," I pointed to our far left. The train just stopped and we expected it to come to us. Soon it moved. The Caucasian woman rushed to it. The train sped up and past us.

"We should have stayed with the crowd," she said. "But look at this signboard in the pillar. The notice said that the Narita Express would come in 2 sections. The first train with carriages number 7-12 would stop at the floor tiles 7 to 12. Then the second train 1-6 would come a few minutes later and stop at floor tiles 1 - 6. The two trains would couple and go to Narita Airport."

But on this sunny June 8 afternoon, we were played out. There was only one train and that stopped at 1-6. We should have stayed with the crowd. But she had lost a son and wanted to grieve alone. She went to the station to enquire. There would be another Narita Express one hour later.

I could understand that. We took the slow train to Narita airport at the other platform. I could only say "I am sorry to her," as I shook the hands of this curly haired mother who said "Thanks for listening to me. I could not make it alone to Narita airport."

As for my Motorola mobile phone, the outgoing sms were still being sent. I did not meet my Japanese contact.

As to the mystery of the blocked sms, I believe that my cell phone had been cloned.