Lost Property
Oh no! I think I left my bag on the train!
I am sure this has happened to you once or twice before. I went shopping in Tokyo one day and when I got home I realized I had left my newly bought goods on a seat in the Fresh Hitachi! I was so annoyed with myself.
But in Japan, it doesn't have to mean the end of your items. Japanese people are really kind and more often than not, they will take your lost things to the conductor or local police station to report them. I have heard stories of people losing their wallets and they get them back with nothing taken out of them!
Most public transport systems have a special place for lost property and that is where your things would likely go.
So how do you get them back? Try calling the following numbers (you might need the help of a Japanese-speaking friend).
If you left things on the train:
If you realize immediately that you have forgotten something, talk to the conductor at the station you got off at. They are able to call forward to where the train is headed or sometime to the conductors on the train. If you notice later, try calling one of the following.
- JR East Telephone Center: 050-2016-1601
- JR Ueno Station Lost Property: 03-3841-8069
- JR Tokyo Station Lost Property: 03-3231-1880
- Tsukuba Express: 0570-0000-298
- Kantō Tetsudō: 029-822-3710
- Mo'oka Tetsudō: 028-584-2911
- Kashima Tetsudō: 029-923-2358
- Kashima Rinkai Tetsudō: 029-267-5200
- Ibaraki Kōtsū: 029-251-2331
- Ibaraki Kōtsū: 029-251-2331
- Kantō Tetsudō: 029-822-3710
- JR Bus Kantō: 03-3844-1950
- Ibaraki Auto: 029-221-6539
- Hitachi Dentetsu Kōtsū: 029-421-5245
- Shiina Kankō: 029-332-5506
- Asahi Jidōsha: 028-087-0780
- Showa Kankō: 028-077-0308
- Ōtone Kōtsū: 029-777-8033
- Ibaraki Bus Association: 029-247-6603
- Ibaraki Hire Association: 029-247-6602
- Japan Taxi Association: 03-3985-7191
If you left something on a bus:
In this case it's too late to say something to the driver, because he/she and your belongings are speeding off down the road without you! So try the numbers below.
If you left something in a taxi:
There are 600 entries under "taxi" in the phone book. If you can remember the name of the taxi you were in then you will have a bit more luck. Even if you can't forget to collect your belongings, try and remember to get a receipt every time you use a taxi, then at least you have the name of the company. If all else fails, try one of the following hotlines. They may be able to help track the right company down.
If you lost your items somewhere on the street, try the local kōban (police box).
If it's your mobile phone that is lost, a good trick is to send yourself a message from a friend's phone or computer saying something like, "If you find me, please call . . . ." It has worked for me in the past! Also, have an entry in the phone book entitled "Home". That would be the first place the person who finds your phone would look to find you.
On the other hand, if you find something that looks like someone would be unhappy to have lost, drop it in at your local kōban. They will ask for your details because if no one comes to collect it after a few months, it officially becomes yours to keep.
