Is it really true that things you drop in Japan never get lost?

A country that is friendly towards lost items, Japan’s mysterious services

Introduction

Smartphones, wallets, commuter passes…

“I accidentally dropped it!” “I left it on the bus!” Everyone has had that experience, right? 

However, did you know that in Japan, the chances of lost items being returned to their owners are very high?

 This is not just due to people’s “kindness,” but also thanks to the “lost and found system” that is spread throughout the country.

How do lost items get returned? 

Step 1: Someone picks it up 

First, the person who finds the lost item takes it to the nearest facility, station staff, or police.

 In Japan, this is established as “the normal course of action.”

Step 2: Store and register lost items

Railway companies, stores, police, etc. temporarily store lost items and register them in the “lost and found management system.”

Some JR and subways have introduced online search functions. 

In commercial facilities, if there is a clue such as a name on the lost item, the owner will be called over the PA system. Also, if the police find any clues to the owner from the lost property, they will contact them directly by phone.

Step 3: Owner collects 

The owner can collect the lost property by showing ID and explaining the characteristics of the lost property. 

If the exact date, time and place are given, there is a high probability that the lost property will be returned!

Why does the system have such a careful system?

Education that “Do not take other people’s things without permission” 

In Japan, people are taught from elementary school that “lost property should be picked up and returned.”

 This awareness is strong even in public places, and rather than a culture of blaming the person who forgot it, there is a value in putting yourself in the other person’s shoes and thinking, “The person who lost this must be in trouble, if it were me…” and returning it properly.

 This Japanese morality is the basis of lost property services.

Backed by the law

 In fact, the Japanese Civil Code clearly states that “lost property shall be handled in accordance with the Lost Property Act.”

There is also a system in which the person who returns the property is rewarded if the correct procedure is followed.

Actual cases of “miraculous return”

• A passport forgotten by a foreign tourist was delivered to the hotel
• A smartphone left on a bench at a train station was delivered to the nearest police box two days later
• A bag left at a cafe was returned with all the cash still in it

We have received many comments from overseas saying, “I can’t believe it’s really coming back!”

Why are foreigners surprised?

• It is common overseas that “if you lose it, you don’t get it back”

• If you pick it up and return it, you may be suspected

• Many people think that getting your smartphone or cash back is “urban legend level”

Japan’s lost and found service is the result of a combination of good public safety, cultural values, and systems.

Summary

Japan has a social and cultural mechanism for returning lost items.

 It is not just a “system”, but also a symbol of a culture of mutual trust and consideration.

“Even if you lose it, it may come back”

This sense of security makes life in Japan a little richer.

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