- [Narrator] It's your worst nightmare,
your mid commute and it hits you.
You've put your phone or wallet down somewhere
and lost it.
But then you remember you're
in Tokyo and you relax
because Tokyo's lost and found is one
of the best in the world.
(upbeat music)
So what makes Japan's lost and found system so successful?
First, reporting a missing item is easy.
Police can be found in small stations called Koban,
which are located around the city.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Once a report is filed,
the items are held at the police box for two weeks.
If they are not collected,
the items are taken to the lost and found center
in Bunkyo Ward,
a six story facility which hosts over 900,000 items.
(bright music)
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Cell phones,
ID cards and even wallets full of cash,
all have a high success rate of being returned.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Not so lucky are
the umbrellas of Tokyo.
(slow classical music)
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] But as one
of the most commonly misplaced and inexpensive items,
it could be worse.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] Yeah, that's worse.
(upbeat classical music)
(upbeat music)
Although the infrastructure is in place
to make an efficient return system,
none of this would be possible
without the people of Tokyo.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] So if you're going to misplace something,
make sure you do it in Tokyo.
(bright upbeat music)