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• Jr Rail Lost And Found
• Lost And Found Movie

Lost something in Japan? You’re in luck — chances are good that you’ll get it back. Countless travelers in Japan have reported being reunited with lost valuables, including wallets with all the cash intact. You can attribute this to the overall honesty of people in Japan as well as efficient tracking systems for lost property. There are some procedures to follow, however. This article will help you navigate them to retrieve property lost on rail transport systems.

There’s a good chance you’ll be reunited with property lost on Japanese railways if you follow the required procedures.

Nearly 20,000 items are turned into Metro-North's Lost & Found Facility every year. We have established a Lost and Found process that is designed to recover and return as many items as possible to our customers. This process involves several steps that must take place, and requires your cooperation and patience.

Contents

Finding your stuff in the land of “forgotten things”

The Japanese term wasuremono (忘れ物) can be translated as “forgotten things.” English lacks a similar word, and this might reflect the care with which lost property is handled in Japan.

Keio Inokashira Line LCD screen warning to passengers not to forget their belongings

In a huge city like Tokyo, lost property is a big business. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department received nearly 4 million items in 2017 including 480,000 articles of clothing and 700,000 pieces of identification. With more and more travelers visiting Japan and more people carrying smartphones, lost property is increasing: the National Police Agency reported 27.96 million items in 2016, a jump from some 12.72 million in 2007.

The Tokyo Metro Lost & Found Center at Iidabashi Station handles about 1,800 items per day

Handling all this property takes speed and efficiency. At Tokyo Metro’s Lost & Found Center in Iidabashi Station, a staff of about 50 works full-time to handle found items, return them to owners when possible, and if not transfer them to police. Every morning, staffers haul in large blue baskets full of items found throughout the company’s nine lines, 179 stations and 2,728 rail cars.

All the items at the Tokyo Metro Lost & Found Center are tagged and given bar codes

Each item gets a tag with a bar code and descriptive information such as brand name, color, and any contents. The property is quickly sorted and shelved by type: bags, clothing, eyeglasses, wallets, IDs, etc. On rainy days, the number of umbrellas surges, filling up several shelf racks, while seasonal items such as winter gloves and summer handkerchiefs are bundled into large bags for rapid processing.

The center handles tens of thousands of umbrellas every year

Browsing the shelves, you can see omiyage (local souvenirs, often sweets, given as gifts to coworkers and family), electronics in shopping bags, thermoses and bundles of hand towels. Sometimes, unusual articles are turned in: guitars, suitcases, chairs, knives. Wallets full of cash also come in. Tokyo Metro gets to keep unclaimed cash after it’s held by police, netting the operator some 24 million yen every year.

Bundles of handkerchiefs and towels are stacked at the Tokyo Metro Lost & Found Center

Property is stored for a day at the station where it’s found, or the terminus of the train where it was left, and it’s brought to the center the following day or the next one if it turns up late at night. Items are kept at the Lost & Found Center for roughly four days before transfer to police. There are exceptions. Of the approximately 85,000 umbrellas received every year, plastic umbrellas are kept for two weeks and then discarded. In 2017, the center received 660,302 items, an average of 1,809 items per day. Approximately 30 percent was successfully returned to owners.

Baskets of books and eyeglasses are quickly processed at the Tokyo Metro Lost & Found Center

“It’s easy to forget items if you put them on overhead shelves, or if you place an umbrella on a railing,” says Toru Shimanuma of Tokyo Metro’s Lost & Found Center. “We recommend passengers keep their belongings in hand so they won’t be left behind. When it’s crowded, it’s best to put things in one’s pocket so they won’t be accidentally dropped.”

JR East, one of Japan’s largest railways, has an even bigger lost and found operation. It takes in some 2.2 million lost items annually, the most common items being clothing, umbrellas and bags; surfboards are among the odd items that have turned up. The company also has a tracking system in which items are entered into a database, tagged and held in a regional office—for instance, Ueno Station serves as the collection point for JR lines in Tokyo’s 23 wards. Since some JR lines extend to other prefectures, items forgotten on trains sometimes have to be picked up at terminus or police stations in Chiba or Yamanashi prefectures. Lost property is handed to police within a week, and about 30 percent of items are successfully returned to owners.

“We have to ensure that lost property is returned to its proper owner, and that’s why we ask customers to visit in person to confirm details,” says Harumi Motomuro of JR East’s Customer Service Quality Reformation Department. “We always ask passengers to be mindful of their belongings and to call our multilingual Info Line if they have lost something.”

Lost and Found FAQ

What happens to property lost on rail networks in Japan?

Under Japan’s Lost Property Act, property must be handed over to police within seven days. Lost property is gathered by railway staff, tagged, cataloged and kept for a few days (at stations and centralized collection offices) and then sent to police. Generally speaking, police discard lost property three months after receiving it

How do I claim a lost item?

Report the loss as soon as possible to the appropriate railway operator, either in person or by calling (see below for contact information). You, or someone you appoint, will only have a few days to retrieve it from the operator; after that it will likely be transferred to police where it will be kept for three months.

After an item is found, how soon is it transferred to the lost and found office?

Depending on the rail operator, lost property may be sent to its lost and found office after one to three days.

How can I contact railway operators? Is it only in Japanese?

Contact them by phone or go there in person; email inquiries are generally not accepted. Some major railway companies like JR East have multilingual call centers for inquiries about lost property. However, most companies only take calls in Japanese.

How soon can I inquire about an item?

You can inquire immediately. If the item hasn’t been found or cataloged yet, you may still receive an inquiry number for the next time you call.

How long are the items kept at a lost and found office? Can this period be extended?

Items are generally kept for about three days, sometimes a few more, before they are turned over to police. At the discretion of police, some inexpensive items that are often lost, such as plastic umbrellas and handkerchiefs, may be kept for longer by railway operators. Items may be kept longer if a claim has been filed.

I’m not sure where I lost something or I’ve been told my property may have been transferred to police. What should I do?

Police are the final custodians of lost property in Japan and generally hold it for three months before disposal. There is no nationwide database for lost property and owners must apply to the police force of the prefecture where the item may have been found. If you’re not sure where you’ve lost something, go to the nearest koban (police box) or police station and fill out a lost property report (the same applies if a railway operator has transferred your property to police). You may be contacted and told to get in touch with a police lost and found center or check an online database. They include the numbers listed in the “Local Police Lost & Found” section below. Note that if you visit a police box or station in person, a phone-based translation service is often provided.

Can property be sent to another city in or outside Japan? How much does that cost?

Railway operators will generally refuse to send items overseas. However, if you have already left Japan, you can ask someone in Japan to pick up your property for you. Operators can sometimes ship items to another city in Japan via cash-on-delivery courier service. To get an idea of next-day shipping costs from the Tokyo region to the Kyoto region, Yamato Transport fees start at 1,015 yen to ship items up to 25 kg with a total length, width and height of less than 160 cm; rates for a small parcel with a total length, width and height of less than 60 cm begin at 648 yen plus 65 yen for the shipping box.

Is lost property always at the lost and found office at the last station or the station where it was found?

No. Depending on the rail operator, lost property may be kept for a few days at the station where it was found, the final station on the line, or at a central lost and found office.

What’s the difference in what happens to items lost on a train and those lost at a station?

There is no difference. Both will be tagged, cataloged and kept for a few days before being handed over to local police.

What is the best way to find someone Japanese to contact lost and found?

If the railway operator you’re dealing with does not have English-speaking staff, ask a Japanese-speaking friend, hotel concierge, Airbnb host, or tour guide. Some of the larger tourist information centers, for instance TIC Tourist Information Center outside the Nihombashi Exit of Tokyo Station or the Kyoto Tourist Information Center on the second floor of Kyoto Station, may be able to help with phone calls in Japanese if you visit them in person.

Is identification required to claim lost property?

Railway operators may ask to see your passport when you claim property.

General tips about locating lost property in Japan

• When you get up after sitting down on a train station bench or a train carriage seat, make it a habit to look behind you to check for items you may have inadvertently left behind or that may have fallen out of a pocket or bag. Minimizing the number of things you’re carrying is also a good idea.
• Personalizing your property, for instance by labeling it with your name, can make it easier for rail staff to locate.
• If you lose something or forget it somewhere, make a quick note of any details. Write down the station name, the rail line you were traveling on, the direction you were going, whether it was on a luggage rack, and the time. That will make it easier for staff to locate your property.
• Rail staff will want an accurate description of articles before turning them over to you. For instance, if you’re trying to get a bag back, you might be expected to describe its brand, shape, color, size and contents.
  In Japanese, lost property is known as wasuremono (忘れ物) or otoshimono (literally “dropped thing”; 落し物). Ishitsumono (遺失物) is a more formal term.
• Rail operators have lost and found offices in stations as well as centralized contact numbers for reporting lost property. If you’re at a station, try the lost and found office first; otherwise call (see contact numbers below). Look for the icon with a question mark above an umbrella and handbag.

The question mark icon is used for lost and found by various railway operators in Japan

Major Stations Lost and Found

Sapporo Station
Tel 011-222-6130 (Japanese only)
Hours 9:00-17:00

Sendai Station
Tel 022-227-0255 (Japanese only)
Hours 10:00 to 18:00 (phone) 8:30 to 20:00 (counter)

Tokyo Station

There are two counters at Tokyo Station:

JR East Lost & Found
Located on the first floor on the Yaesu side, near the Nihonbashiguchi Gate for the Tokaido Shinkansen.
Tel 03-3231-1880 (Japanese only)
Hours 10:00 to 18:00 (phone) 8:30 to 20:00 (counter)

JR Tokai Lost & Found
Located on the first floor on the Yaesu side, near the Central Gate for the Tokaido Shinkansen.

Tel 050-3772-3910 (Japanese only)
Hours 06:00 to 24:00

Ueno Station

Tel 03-3841-8069 (Japanese only)
Hours 10:00 to 18:00 (phone) 10:00 to 20:00 (counter)

Shizuoka Station

Tel 054-251-9630 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 18:00

Hamamatsu Station

Tel 053-453-2502 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 18:00

Nagoya Station

The lost and found office is on the north side of the Central Walkway, down a small corridor and across from the Tourist Information Center.

Tel 052-564-2445 (Japanese only)
Hours 7:00 to 24:00

Kyoto Station

The counter is located outside the station on the north side. Go past Hotel Granvia and Kyoto Theater, and follow the signs for the lost and found office in an alley near bicycle parking. There’s another counter for Shinkansen passengers in the Information office on the south side of Kyoto Station. Lost & Found Office at Kyoto Station.

Tel 075-371-0134 (Japanese only); for property lost in the Kyoto Station Building, call 075-361-4601 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 19:30

Nara Station

Tel 0570-002-486 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 20:00

Kanazawa Station

Tel 076-293-2234 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 20:00

Osaka Station

The office is located near the Tourist Information office at the northern end of the Central Concourse.

Tel 0570-00-2486 or 078-382-8686 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 20:00

Shin-Osaka Station

Tel 06-6302-7335 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 21:00

Hakata Station

Tel 092-474-4282 (Japanese only)
Hours 7:30 to 22:00

Oita Station

Tel 097-513-5723 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 20:00

Jr Rail Lost And Found

Kagoshima-Chuo Station

Tel 099-254-0418 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 20:00

Railway Operators Lost and Found

JR Hokkaido (Hokkaido)

JR Hokkaiso doesn’t have a central contact point for lost property. Report your loss at JR Hokkaido stations.

For more information see this page.

Sapporo Subway

Tel 011-241-2938 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 20:00

JR East (Tokyo area and northern Honshu)

Call JR East’s multilingual Infoline to report lost property.

Tel 050-2016-1603 from inside Japan; +81 50 2016-1603 from outside Japan
Hours 10:00 to 18:00 (closed during year-end and new-year holidays)
Languages: English, Chinese, Korean

The Lost & Found counter at Shinjuku Station’s East Exit can deal with inquiries in Japanese. For inquiries in English, call the JR East InfoLine

JR Central (central Japan’s Chubu region, as well as Shinkansen bullet trains from Tokyo to Nagoya, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka)

Tel 050-3772-3910 (Japanese only)
Hours 6:00 to 24:00

JR West (Western Honshu including Shinkansen bullet trains from Shin-Osaka)

Tel 0570-00-2486 or 078-382-8686 (Japanese only)

Osaka Metro

Lost property is kept at stationmaster offices on the day it’s found as well as the following day. It’s transferred to the Osaka Metro Lost and Found Center on the third day after 13:00. Property is kept for about five days and then sent to police. The Lost and Found Center is outside the South Ticket Gate in Namba Station on the Yotsubashi Line.

Tel 0570-6666-24
Hours 8:30 to 20:00

Kyoto Subway

Consult the information counter at Karasuma Oike Station. For details, see this page (in Japanese).

Tel 075-213-1650
Hours 7:30 to 19:30

Hankyu Railway

Hankyu Railway keeps items for up to three days; umbrellas are kept for two weeks then discarded. See here for details (in Japanese).

Tel 06-6133-3473 (when calling on the day property was lost; Japanese only)
Hours 9:00 to 22:00, 9:00 to 19:00 on weekends and holidays

Tel 06-6373-5226 (after day of loss; Japanese only)
Hours 8:30 to 19:45

Hanshin Electric Railway

Inquire at the nearest Hanshin station on the same day property was lost; after that, contact the Lost and Found Center at Hanshin Umeda Station’s West Gate.

Tel 06-6457-2268 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 21:00

Kintetsu Railway

Kintetsu Railway keeps items for up to seven days before transfer to police; umbrellas are kept for two weeks then discarded. See this page for details (in Japanese).

Tel 050-3536-3942 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 21:00

Keihan Electric Railway

Keihan Railway keeps items for up to three days before transfer to police; umbrellas are kept for two weeks then discarded. See this page for details (in Japanese).

Tel 06-6353-2431 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:30 to 20:30 weekdays; 8:30 to 19:30 weekends and holidays

Nankai Railway

Nankai does not have a centralized number for lost property. Contact staff at the nearest Nankai station. For Namba Station, call 06-6631-1351 (Japanese only).

JR Shikoku (Shikoku area)

JR Shikoku doesn’t have a central contact point for lost property. Report lost property at JR Shikoku stations.

JR Kyushu (Kyushu area including Kyushu Shinkansen bullet trains)

JR Kyushu doesn’t have a central contact point for lost property. Report your loss at JR Kyushu stations including Hakata, Nagasaki and Kagoshima-Chuo.

Tokyo Metro (Tokyo area)

Tokyo Metro’s Lost & Found Center is located at Iidabashi Station on the Namboku Line. Its customer service call center can handle foreign-language inquiries in English, Chinese and Korean.

Tel 0120-104-767
Hours 9:00 to 20:00

Toei Subway (Tokyo area)

Call Toei to ask about lost property; dial 1 to be connected to an English speaker.

Tel 03-3816-5700
Hours 9:00 to 20:00

Lost And Found Movie

Keio Line and Inokashira Line (Tokyo area)

Be sure to contact Keio as soon as possible as it will hand over lost property to police three days after it’s found. The Keio lost and found office is near Meidaimae Station. See here for details.

Tel 03-3325-6644
Hours 9:00 to 19:00

Tokyu lines (Tokyo area)

Contact Tokyu to ask where to go to retrieve your property. English-speaking staff are available.

Tel 03-3477-0109
Monday to Friday: 8:00 to 19:00
Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays: 9:30 to 17:30

Tobu Railway

Inquire at the nearest Tobu station or contact the Tobu Railway Customer Center
Tel 03-5962-0102
Hours 8:30 to 19:00

Yokohama Municipal Subway

Tel 045-664-2525 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:00 to 21:00

Local Police Lost and Found

Hokkaido Prefectural Police
Sapporo Area Chuo Police Station
Tel 011-242-0110 (Japanese only)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Lost and Found CenterAddress 1-9-11 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Closest station: Iidabashi (JR Sobu, Chuo lines; Tokyo Metro Tozai, Yurakucho, Namboku lines; Toei Subway Oedo Line)
Tel 0570-550-142 (Japanese only)
Hours 8:30 to 17:15 Monday to Friday

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Lost and Found Center is near Iidabashi Station in Bunkyu-ku

Kyoto Prefectural Police
Report lost property to the closest koban or police station.

Osaka Prefectural Police
Online search form for lost property (Japanese only)

Fukuoka Prefectural Police
Online search form for lost property (Japanese only)

Article and original photos by Tim Hornyak. All rights reserved.