There are , of course , worse thing in life than lose your keys , a wallet , or a smartphone . But at the minute you realize they ’re gone , it sure does n’t seem like it . And unfortunately , in most places , it can be exceedingly hard to locate those items again . But in Japan , there ’s a great chance you ’ll be reunited with your missing belongings .
Allan Richarz ofCityLabrecently broke down the grounds why Japan ’s unparalleled sound and cultural climate provides an good method for retrieval of fall behind item . Suppose a citizen stumble across an umbrella or purse that ’s lose its possessor . Rather than wonder where they might be able to turn it in , they head to a local koban , a small police place that ’s usually within walking distance . ( More than 6300 kobans span the country . ) In 2018 , 4.1 million missing items were turned in to police , and thechancesof reunite them with their owners is pretty ripe . That same year , 130,000 of 156,000 lost earpiece ( 83 per centum ) were render and 240,000 wallets ( 65 percent ) went home .
Missing detail are typically held at the local koban for one calendar month in case the possessor retraces their steps and comes back . After that , they ’re send to a Lost and Found Center at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department , where the item is cataloged , searched for information relating to its proprietor , and then put into an online database that the populace can check . Belongings are held for three months . After that , they might be handed over to the individual who rule it . If not , they become the belongings of the local government , where they might finally filter down to secondhand thrift sales .
What prompts the Japanese to be so diligent in handing over items ? regard . fry are taught in school that returning property to police is part of their civic duty . It ’s also practice of law . The Amended Lost Property Act of 2007 authorization that lost items be turned over to authorities if the owner ca n’t be site . The same law also enforce a reward that ’s a percentage of the time value of the item if it ’s reunite with its owner .
Losing personal possession while traveling can be a nightmare . If you happen to lose something while visiting Japan , however , there ’s a dependable luck you may avert cataclysm . Just ask for directions to the nearest koban .
[ h / tCityLab ]
