Thankfully, of all places to lose something, Japan is somewhere you're likely to get it back.
By the time I'd reached the bus station from Kansai Airport in Osaka, I was feeling lazy and a little disoriented. I grabbed a black taxi and made my way. The driver hauled my suitcase into the trunk, and I threw my backpack into the backseat with me. I kept my box of 7" records clutched tightly to my chest because, priorities.
It was only after I'd gotten to my destination when I quickly did a count and realized I was exactly one bag short; my backpack.
My first thought was to go to my default: panic. My backpack contained my medication, electronics, makeup, clothes, my JR Rail pass and ALL of my money for the trip. My second thought was, OK. It's Japan and theft is rare.
This wouldn't be hopeless. I hoped.
My partner Yasu felt my panic, and tried to assure me things would be fine. He said it was likely that the driver or the next taxi passengers would notice my bag (since it was in the backseat) and would make sure to get it into the right hands.
First step, call the taxi company! This was also the first problem. I had no idea what taxi company I had been with. I explained it was a black taxi, but Yasu shrugged and said there were tons of taxi companies, most of which drove black cabs.
So we went to the next step, and that was to call the bus station in case the driver had returned it there. Unfortunately not, but they were able to give us the number to a central taxi office. We called there after and left a report when we learned nothing had been brought there yet either. They also suggested making a report with the police, so that if it turned up there or with the police, it would be on file.
Since it was getting late, we would have to wait until the next day to make a police report. Something really interesting about Japan is that there are small police stations on almost every city block. Another interesting thing is that despite being the most technologically advanced country in the world, the police stations are anything but. That still doesn't change the fact that the police here are some of the most efficient in the world.
When we arrived to the closest police box, a gruff man in a dress shirt and trousers came out to greet us. He invited us to pull up some folding chairs to the rusty desk while he dragged out a giant laptop, still connected to the cable and dialed into the internet.
He began taking a very detailed, itemized list of every single thing in my backpack complete with descriptions. It wasn't enough to tell him I had a black one piece dress inside, I had to clarify that it was a black cotton dress from the GAP, my white iphone charging cable by Apple, my JR rail pass that was mostly blue with my name and email in the laminate and so on.
Every time I'd thought I'd listed enough items to make a match he kept prompting me for more until I was pretty sure I was never getting my bag back. The only thing keeping me positive at that moment was seeing people coming in to return lost valuables. In the time I'd made my report, a woman came in to return a phone she found, a man popped in with a credit card he'd found lying around and another person came to drop off a wallet.
I realized I was completely at the mercy of people's honesty and it was an uneasy feeling.
Apparently Japan has an 85% return rate on getting lost items back, and I was counting my stars that I'd be in that majority. I wasn't feeling so confident at this point, though. I was ready to give up and the look on my face must have spelled it out. The detective finally changed his scowl to a smile and exclaimed in loud English, "LUCKY GIRL!"
My bag was at police headquarters. He gave us a police report, directions and I grabbed Yasu to drag him into a taxi to get there ASAP.
She studied my JR Rail Pass and my medication bottle carefully, confirming the names were a match to my passport. Then she handed me my iPad and gestured me to unlock it which I did. She nodded then, and pulled out a zip lock bag containing my money. She confirmed how much money I had lost and then counted out every single yen in front of me to show it was all there. She handed me back my backpack then, and her smile looked as relieved as mine was.
Just like that. 12 hours after losing my backpack in a taxi cab, I had it back with every single thing inside.
It goes to show that for the most part, if you lose something in Japan, you're likely to get it back as long as you don't mind a little bureaucracy. It would have been a bit harder without a Japanese speaking partner to help me, but I am still confident I would have got it back regardless.
The key thing to remember if you lose or forget something is to first try the place you last remember seeing it. Two years ago, I forgot my brand new phone in the busiest bathroom in Tokyo. By the time I realized and went back, it had been over an hour. My phone? Right where I left it, beside the sink. If it's not where you left it, or lost and found (ex: in a subway station) your best bet is the closest police station (kōban 交番).
Having a picture of the item(s) you lost is really helpful, especially if you don't speak Japanese. A phone app to help translate is also useful. Another tip I've learned is to get a receipt from any taxis I take, or at least grab a photo of the taxi company and car number just in case. But most important, I learned to count how many things I'm carrying so I can keep track to avoid losing things in the first place.
Thankfully, the majority of people in Japan are honest. A combination of a considerate culture and tough laws mean people are eager to get lost items back to their rightful owners. I was so happy, relieved and convinced again how much I love Japan.
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