Japan is a throw away culture, and one of the disposable items is the umbrella. The result is you can buy them very cheaply, which is useful if like us you arrive without one and it rains heavilly. Can’t object at 500 yen for a full size brolly, especially if like Dave you accidentally throw yours away. Almost twice. Of course you’d never find me ever doing that, oh no, and any rumours of having to run back to where I’d taken a photo are purely conjecture.