What to Do and Say If You Lose Something in Japan
If you know roughly where you lost something, ask the operator of that place first. If you have no idea where, file a Lost Property Report at any police station or police box (koban). Those two steps cover most cases in Japan, and the details below come from the Tokyo government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD), as of October 2026. Other prefectures run their own police lost property offices, so treat the specifics as Tokyo's.
1. Which step comes first
The Tokyo government's guide to its lost and found system separates two situations.
- You know where and roughly when. Ask the lost and found office of the railway operator, or the customer service counter of the shop or amusement facility. If the item is there and you can be identified as the owner, you can take it back.
- You have no idea where. You must submit a Lost Property Report to a police box or police station. If the item turns up, the police contact you and you collect it at the station or the Lost & Found Center.
The same guide says an English form is available at police boxes and stations, and that the Lost & Found Center has a multilingual communication panel for foreign visitors.
2. How long items are held
| Where it was found | How long it is kept there |
|---|---|
| Brought to a Tokyo koban or police station | Two weeks |
| Left on a Tokyo train, or at a large shopping or amusement facility | About 1 to 4 days |
| After that, at the TMPD Lost & Found Center | 3 months in total from the date it was reported |
The practical meaning: if you left a bag on a train, call or visit the rail operator the same day. The Tokyo government's guide says items left on trains are kept at the operator for only about 1 to 4 days, so do not wait.
3. Filing the report
TMPD's page for visitors gives these points:
- File at your local police station or police box. The form is available at any police office.
- You can fill the form out in advance from the TMPD website, but you must hand it in person. Reports sent by email or other means are not accepted.
- TMPD cannot accept reports about items lost outside Japan.
- Give a Japanese phone number. The police contact you if they think your item has been found, and as a rule they do not make international calls. If you are staying in Japan, your hotel's number is one option.
- If you lost a bank card, credit card, or mobile phone, contact the card issuer or carrier as well, to prevent misuse.
- If you lost a passport, contact your embassy or consulate first to find out whether you need a police certificate for a replacement.
4. Searching and follow-up
TMPD runs an online database of lost items, but it is available only in Japanese. It can be searched by item type and date and is updated at intervals. The Lost & Found Center phone number is 0570-550-142, and JNTO's Japan Visitor Hotline page lists the same number under police lost property. The hotline itself (050-3816-2787, 24 hours) handles English, Chinese, and Korean.
TMPD also tells visitors to contact railway or bus companies, airlines, or businesses where the item might have been left, because they may keep it for a few days.
5. Phrases to use
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| I lost my wallet. | 財布を落としました。 | Saifu o otoshimashita. |
| I left my bag on the train. | 電車にかばんを忘れました。 | Densha ni kaban o wasuremashita. |
| I want to report lost property. | 落とし物の届けを出したいです。 | Otoshimono no todoke o dashitai desu. |
| Is there an English form? | 英語の用紙はありますか。 | Eigo no youshi wa arimasu ka. |
| I lost it around here, about 3 p.m. | このあたりで、3時ごろ落としました。 | Kono atari de, san-ji goro otoshimashita. |
| It is black and about this size. | 黒くて、このくらいの大きさです。 | Kurokute, kono kurai no ookisa desu. |
| This is my hotel's phone number. | これはホテルの電話番号です。 | Kore wa hoteru no denwa bangou desu. |
| Has it been found? | 届いていますか。 | Todoite imasu ka. |
For an item left on a train, the station staff will usually ask the line, direction, car, and time. Having the ticket, IC card record, or a photo of the seat number on your phone helps you answer.
6. If you have already left Japan
TMPD says that after verification, a found item can be shipped to an address in Japan, with you paying shipping. You mail copies of these documents to the Lost and Found Center or police station holding the item:
- Property Shipping Request form
- Photocopy of the recipient's valid ID
- Photocopy of your valid ID
- Lost Property Report, if you did not file one with the police
- Letter of Authorization, only if someone else receives the item
- Notification letter, if you received one
7. Key takeaways
- Known location: ask the railway operator or venue first. Unknown: file a Lost Property Report at a koban or police station.
- In Tokyo, police hold items for two weeks; trains and large facilities hold them for about 1 to 4 days.
- Give a Japanese phone number, because the police do not call abroad.
- Report a lost card or phone to the issuer or carrier too.
- Lost property reports cannot be emailed, and the online item search is Japanese only.