Money matters

A merchant named Enki set off from his village to the Nokomise Dori market to sell his merchandise. It was a long and tiring journey. When evening fell, he looked around for a suitable inn to spend the night. He saw a place with light pouring out of its windows and its front door painted with flowers and mountains. He walked in and found the innkeeper at the reception. He asked the innkeeper, “Kind sir, do you have a room for me for one night?”

The innkeeper said that he did. So, the merchant ordered a hot meal and a room for the night. The innkeeper told his wife that a merchant was stopping for the night. The innkeeper’s wife was happy because business had been slack. When she saw that the merchant had a sizeable amount of merchandise with him, she was impressed.

She struck up a conversation with Enki, who told her that he was on his way to the market to sell his wares and that he was hoping to get a good price, as it was valuable. Excited, the woman told her husband, “This is a rich merchant. Let us hatch a plan to take his merchandise.” Now, the innkeeper knew about certain herbs and their properties. So he said, “While we prepare his dinner, let us put this herb called mega into his food. It will make him forget. In the morning, he is certain to forget his merchandise and the money, which he will set aside for the night.”

The innkeeper and his wife took extra care over the meal and added a liberal dose of mega into it. They watched gleefully as the merchant gobbled up the meal. Immediately after he ate, he retired to his room. He placed his merchandise and money on a side table and was soon fast asleep.

When the rooster crowed in the morning, Enki woke up and looked out of the window. He saw that dawn was breaking and the sun was coming up over the distant hills. He quickly got ready and crept down the stairs. There was no one around. Enki slipped out of the front door. When the innkeeper and his wife woke up, they rushed to the merchant’s room. But, to their great shock, the room was empty.

The wife was angry and she shouted at her husband, “You fool! What rubbish you told me about the herb. The man has forgotten nothing!”

The innkeeper said, “It’s not rubbish. He would surely have forgotten something after consuming the herb.”

“But he didn’t forget anything!”

“Be calm. Think. He would have forgotten something.”

They thought about it. Then the wife slapped her forehead and said, “Yes, he forgot to pay his bill!”

Japan is a nation of islands that lie off the eastern coast of Asia. It also known as the Land of the Rising Sun.