The Shinjuku Tourist Information Center is inundated with SOS calls from foreigners. An Australian man who wants to go on a ghost tour even though it's spring, and a mysterious Thai man who, for some reason, brought a lottery ticket. How will they solve such a wide variety of consultations?! ■Australian woman impressed by a big search for a "rare item" A couple from Australia. They were in trouble because they couldn't get hold of a certain item. Shinjuku Tourist Information Center staff: "Where do they buy it in your country?" Australian: "Supermarket." Staff: "Supermarket..." Australian: "I wonder if there is lactose-free milk in Japan?" The woman is looking for lactose-free, which means "milk that does not contain lactose." Apparently it is sold as a matter of course in Australia, but it is not a common product in Japan. The information center staff heard that women get diarrhea if they drink regular milk due to their constitution... Staff: "Someone is looking for lactose-free products..." "I was wondering if you carry lactose-free products." They all made inquiries to nearby supermarkets. And five minutes later... Staff: "I found a product that's not completely free, but 80% off." Australian: "That's probably OK." He discovered that a nearby supermarket had a product that was close to what he wanted. Furthermore, the staff was considerate of the woman and gave her the following advice. Staff: "If you're worried, it might be a good idea to buy some stomach medicine. You can find them at any pharmacy. It will help your digestion easier." From Australia: "Perfect. Thank you!" Finally, he handed over a note so that the woman wouldn't get stuck at the supermarket. Australian: "That was very helpful. Most of the time, I just end up saying, 'I don't know,' but they looked into it thoroughly, which was helpful." ■ "I want to go on a haunted tour" even though it's spring Why? An Australian man who visited on this day. His request left the staff confused. Australian: "Are there any ghost tours around? A ghost tour." Staff: "A ghost tour?! What is that?" Australian: "Like going around the haunted spots in Tokyo." Staff: "Can I have a moment?" The Australian said he wanted to see a "haunted spot." I wonder if such a tour exists in the spring, let alone in the summer... Staff: "Do you have any ideas?" Female staff: "I'll look it up on my iPad. Maybe something like a haunted house would be better?" Staff: "There are tours like that in California." Female staff: "But it's summer, isn't it? So there are things like that in Japan." Staff: "Isn't that difficult...?" In order to fulfill the man's request, all the staff searched. Then, 10 minutes later, they were successful! They were able to propose the "ghost tour" that the man wanted. Staff: "I think this is the tour you want. It's a "Terrifying Tokyo Downtown Ghost Tour" that goes around the Asakusa area. You can join this tomorrow or the day after." This ghost tour takes you to the cemeteries and temples of Asakusa after sunset, listening to scary stories and folk tales with a ghost story expert. It is very popular with horror-loving foreigners throughout the year! Apparently, at peak times, they can receive reservations from as many as 60 people. Staff: "That sounds pretty interesting." Australian: "Yes, it does sound interesting." But why a ghost tour? Australian: "I like unusual things. I actually asked at other information centers, but they said they didn't have it. But they found it here. I'm very satisfied." ■Lottery tickets at the tourist information center More than 400 people a day appreciate the attentiveness of the staff. The Shinjuku Tourist Information Center is visited by 10,000 customers a month. The staff are fluent in seven languages, including English. Their motto is to never say "no" to any inquiries. Staff: "We get a lot of difficult questions and problems, so we make sure to provide alternatives for those as well." On this day, a tourist came from Thailand, the land of smiles. Thai: "I want you to check this..." A man hands something to a female staff member. Thai: "If you win, I'll give you a present!" The man handed over a lottery ticket. Thai: "How is it? Did you win?" Staff: "I'm praying so." In fact, he came to check the winning numbers of a lottery ticket he bought in Japan three months ago. But unfortunately, he lost. However, the man showed no signs of being depressed and said the following. Thai person: "A fortune teller told me that I'll be incredibly lucky this year. So I'm thinking of buying all kinds of lottery tickets. If I win a lottery prize, I'll come back to Japan, right?" After the reporters finished the interview, for some reason, the information center staff chased after the Thai man. Staff: "If you'd like, we can take you to the lottery counter..." Perhaps influenced by the man's confident air, the staff recommended that he check at the lottery counter to make sure he didn't miss anything. Then, an hour later, the man was back at the information center! Surely... Thai person: "I won 100 yen! Look! Aren't you lucky!" Apparently he had won 100 yen, just one digit at the end of his ticket! Rather than the amount, he just wanted to thank the information center staff for their consideration. Thai person: "Kopkun ka!" ■ Emergency! Italian loses "precious treasure" On this day, a panicked man was seen at the "tourist information center"... Paulo (34), who has been living in Japan for the past five years: "My bag is gone..." Staff: "You haven't paid?" Paulo: "Yes." Staff: "I'll call you then." Paulo, an Italian who lost his precious bag, has been living in Japan for the past five years. Paulo: "I left my bag in a coin locker, but I forgot to pay... When I came back, the locker was empty..." Paulo says he was lost in thought and forgot to pay. He says that his bag contained his "precious treasure." Staff: "It's a black sports bag. Apparently it was from about two hours ago." The staff member contacts the coin locker management company. Five minutes later, a member of the management company brought the bag. Paulo: "Yes, that's it! That's it!" The management company staff member found the bag unlocked during their rounds, so they kept it. Paulo: "Excuse me, thank you very much." By the way, what was the precious treasure in the bag? Paulo: "The contents (of the bag) were my equipment." Huh? Equipment...? The truth behind it was far more than we could have imagined. It was "armor"! It was exactly "equipment". Paulo: "I was lucky to find my bag safely." It weighed about 40 kg. It is a dojo where you can learn medieval European swordsmanship, which is performed while wearing steel armor. He found it on the internet and started going there during the time when people tended to stay at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Paulo: "I lost 10 kg in six months. If it weren't for the people at the information center, I wouldn't be here today. I'm really grateful." ■ American woman's "great adventure" Tragedy on the first day A woman from America was in trouble as soon as she arrived in Japan. From the United States Leslie (31): "I want to buy a cheap smartphone. It doesn't need to be high performance." A staff member guiding a used smartphone store. But what happened? Leslie: "Listen! My smartphone broke! The moment I arrived in Tokyo!" Leslie is traveling alone from the United States. Suddenly, her smartphone wouldn't turn on. Leslie: "I felt like I was left out with no clothes on... You shouldn't depend on your smartphone. I didn't print out any maps or travel schedules, it's just the worst." Leslie arrived at the used smartphone store she was directed to. Leslie: "I wonder how many pixels it has... I can't read Japanese." Salesperson: "This one has 13 megapixels." Leslie: "13 megapixels. OK!" She also wanted to get the smartphone as soon as possible because she wanted to preserve as many memories of her time in Japan as possible... Leslie: "Of course! Why come all the way to Japan and not take any photos?" So, now that she has the smartphone of her dreams, what kind of photo will she take first? Leslie: "First, take a photo of me being interviewed! It's a big adventure for me, so I want to keep it." This is the first memorable photo. How does it turn out? Leslie: "Oh no! Let's take it again! This time I'll pull in my waist." This refuge for foreign tourists is still responding to someone's SOS today. [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp