Travel Short Story - Held And Questioned In Tokyo (FYI, I am not a drug dealer)

I had the opportunity to travel with Ken for a project in Indonesia. On the way we decided to spend two days in Tokyo with friends.

Arriving in Tokyo’s Narita airport after an 11-hour overnight flight and on my Venezuelan passport, I was suddenly pulled aside for what turned into an intense search. Security didn’t like my laptop—it had a few missing bolts, which they claimed could be a sign of tampering or even hidden explosives. And a Venezuela passport did not help settle their nerves.

Things escalated quickly. I was ushered to a back room, questioned endlessly, and handed a thick questionnaire as they probed for links to drug trafficking or terrorism.

Two hours later, I was finally released.

As I stepped out of security into the main terminal, dazed and exhausted, Ken was waiting calmly with tickets for the Narita Express train into Tokyo.

Ken simply said, “We’re running late,” and off we went to catch the train. Just like that, back to the journey—no time to look back.

Gustavo I.