Japan (mis)adventure series: Dude! Where's my Key?

#5449
Error

It was the fifth time it gave me an error when I tried to enter the code that I have been using to enter the main entrance of my apartment building.

They changed the code! But how could they change the code just like that?

I could not figure out what to do. It was 8 PM on a Friday evening. I browsed through my address book to find the number that was given to me to be used in case of emergency.

Well! This was an emergency. Wasn’t it?

The only thing that I had to do was, call a colleague who could speak Japanese, give him the number and request him to talk to this person and ask for the new code.

After 5 minutes, my colleague called back to give me the bad news. It seemed the number was the office number of the agency and they closed at 7PM

“So, what are you going to do?” he asked.

I didn’t know what to do. I told him that I will wait for someone to come out or go inside and enter when the door opens. But after waiting for 45 minutes, It seemed either everyone was already in or they were not planning to go out and since it was a Friday night, chances of anyone going in at then were thin.

I looked around and found the 24 hr emergency number of the agency. I thought for a second to give this number to my colleague again but something inside me resisted and next I found myself talking to a lady on the other end.

After explaining the situation 5 times, she understood what I was trying to say. Lucky me! She knew a little English and I was able to convey my situation. It was hot and I had just bought a huge pack of Ice cream.(To be frank that, was one of my major concerns.)

She promised to call back in 5 minutes and I agreed to wait (as if I had a choice).
Ten minutes later, I was beginning to get impatient. I thought of jumping over the grill surrounding the mansion, and getting inside but there was a lot of risk involved in that.

What if someone called the cops?
Explaining the complete situation to them in Japanese will again be a huge task.

15 minutes later, I was on the grill. Just as I had imagined, half way up, my phone rang. She was late but she had kept her promise. (Have you ever taken a call hanging on a grill? Trust me, it’s not funny.)

“So your company has not given you the apartment key?” She asked.

This time I lost it but still trying really hard to sound polite and patient, I replied, “No! YOUR COMPANY has not provided the key to the main entrance. I have my apartment key but this key does not fit in the keyholes on the door of the main entrance (there are 2 keyholes on that door) and I have been using a 4 digit code to open the door which was changed today.

But your room key should be able to open the main entrance door.

I was really worried that I might blast her any moment now. Still I was going to keep my cool for as long as I could.

“No, I have tried that and it does NOT work”. Saying this, I went back to the door again trying to insert the key in the keyholes on the main entrance door. But the key did not go in.

At last, I gave up. Without saying anything I hung up and turned around to go out and climb over the grill. As I moved, I saw a keyhole under the keypad where I used to use the code. I inserted the key, knowing that it is not going to happen, and, suddenly, I heard a click.

Fk me!

The door opened.