That afternoon when I rushed for my flight to Fukuoka, I happened to have a small craft knife with me. Ten years ago I would have just gone through the security and got away with it. If it was five years ago I would hand it in and get it back at the airline counter. But I hadn’t flied for some time and this time it was different. They told me it would appear on the luggage turntable at my destination. I had no idea how I was going to find it between suitcases and backpacks, and it took a while for me to realize this neatly sealed box with a handle, sitting on a plastic tray, was what I was looking for.

It seems like a reasonable enough way to handle these things, no need for the ground crew to fumble with each small item. Still, I was so amused with the gap between the object and its container (together with air cushion wrapping) that after retrieving my knife I carefully restored the box to its original form and carried it to my friend’s place where I was staying for the night in Fukuoka. Just as I expected, she thought I had brought a box of doughnuts to share –- which I ended up buying to make up for her disappointment.

by Keiko Ihara (Photograph by herself)