Woman Loses Passport on First Day of Asia Trip, but It's Her Lucky Day
"It could have been anywhere on the streets of Kyoto and we wouldn't know where to begin to look," Sarak Yak told Newsweek. "It was definitely a wake-up call."
A Texan couple's 4-month trip around Asia was saved thanks to the kindness of strangers.
Sarak Yak and Tori Prince—both 25—were visiting Kyoto, Japan, when Prince noticed her passport was missing. The city was one of the first stops on their trip, to be followed by Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.
"The passport was lost at a green tea ceremony," Yak told Newsweek. "We realized it was missing three days later when we were packing our bags to go."
The couple was immediately filled with anxiety and spent their final night in Kyoto mentally retracing their steps throughout the city.
Sarah Yak and Tori Prince were visiting Kyoto, Japan, when the passport was lost.Sarah Yak and Tori Prince were visiting Kyoto, Japan, when the passport was lost.@sarahyak_"We had no clue where the passport could be, so we had to make a game plan for what would happen if we weren't able to get it back," Yak said.
As Indonesia doesn't accept emergency passports, Prince would have had to return to the U.S., leaving Yak to travel alone.
"We had to go to bed without knowing what could happen and wait to see if we could get the passport the next morning," she said.
The following day, Yak and Prince headed straight over to the location of the green tea ceremony, but they weren't very hopeful.
The couple had visited a green tea ceremony a few days before and hoped the passport was there.The couple had visited a green tea ceremony a few days before and hoped the passport was there.@sarahyak_"If it wasn't at the ceremony, it could have been anywhere on the streets of Kyoto and we wouldn't know where to begin to look," she said.
"I was a little scared of traveling alone, especially since Tori and I planned the trip together and we were so excited for it."
Fortunately, the staff at the green tea ceremony had held onto the passport. It turns out they'd been trying to contact Yak and Prince to return it, but didn't have their details.
Prince was so relieved to get her passport back that she cried before running over and hugging the ceremony hosts. The staff were also happy to reunite the passport with its owner, clapping and waving as the couple said goodbye.
Amazingly, staff at the green tea ceremony had held on to Prince's passport and were thrilled to reunite it with its owner.Amazingly, staff at the green tea ceremony had held on to Prince's passport and were thrilled to reunite it with its owner.@sarahyak_"Our trip has gone so smoothly since then and we have had the best time exploring Asia," Yak said.
"Losing Tori's passport was definitely a wake-up call though and we've been a lot more careful about where we are keeping our passports during our travels."
Grateful to the team at the tea ceremony, Yak shared her travel nightmare and its happy ending to TikTok. She was shocked when the story went viral, receiving over 2 million views.
"Why am I crying over this act of kindness?" asked Sagi.
"Them clapping is so wholesome," said Manda.
The couple have since been able to continue their journey across Asia.The couple have since been able to continue their journey across Asia.@sarahyak_"I love how happy the woman was that she found you!" commented Sarah_Louise Alsop.
"Japan is the best place to lose anything," wrote Wendy. "The people are so honest! I lost my passport and bag too and someone turned it all in at the train station."
"I strongly believe nothing truly gets lost with Japanese people around," said Adalishu.
"Although stressful, this ended beautifully," wrote Nick Gilbert.
"This is the literal best outcome!" said beth says.
"I'm so happy she found it," commented skymamacita. "What lovely ladies."
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