Shout out to Korea. On separate occasions I lost my cell phone and wallet - got them all back the next day.
Japan’s Lost-and-Found System
11–20 of 61 posts
Re: Japan’s Lost-and-Found System
#12I've never been to Japan, but whenever I read these articles, I am reminded of the Japanese word 'Kaizen' which means to continuously improve your work. The way I understand it is to step outside of yourself while working and to see your output as to how it will be perceived over time and from an outsider's point of view and ask from that person's point of view what could be done better. I might be wrong, but to me,…
This might come off as somewhat pessimistic but I actually think Japan is one of the worst implementers of Kaizen anywhere. Japanese are famously conservative in how they work, with employees largely avoiding taking on any responsibility and spreading out tasks and checks. The end result being no-one really stands out, but also that no-one is ever really singularly "at fault" as every decision and check is daisy-chained.
It's horribly inefficient but exactly what a lot of people want in their jobs here. Kaizen is an example of executives and people who occupy the top of the chain mostly just pontificating and getting high off their own airs and mostly empty words with no internal policies or actions behind it imo. Most famous example in the Japan expat community of this would be somewhere like Uniqlo or Rakuten - horrible places to work with CEOs who like to roleplay as the next Steve Jobs.
I love this country, but these articles foreigners write without ever actually having worked in real Japanese companies with mostly Japanese natives always come off as a bit naive to me.
Re: Japan’s Lost-and-Found System
#13As someone who lives in Japan I believe this is not a result of "Japanese people being more honest", but rather: - Availability. There are police stations (kobans) and officers on the street everywhere, just a few steps away from wherever I may find something. Turning in a lost item has no friction. All it takes is a few extra steps. In the U.S. there is huge friction - I would need to go out of my way to go to a pol…
That is what we in the US call "community policing" which is how it used to be. The cultural image of a policeman used to be the overweight donut eating totally approachable "dad" type figure, look at pretty much any hollywood movie or show from the 70s or 80s.
And since 9/11 the police have gotten a lot more militaristic. But police departments all over the country are TRYING to return to the idea of community policing. It'll take a while before we get there but that's absolutely where things need to be.
Re: Japan’s Lost-and-Found System
#14What always stumped me is that there are virtually always lockers for umbrellas available (the exception being if they have appliances where you can wrap your umbrella into a plastic wrap before entering. That's mostly found in malls and department stores). Given that the standard plastic issue umbrella is sold in any konbini [7/11 et al]) for 500yen combined with Japanese honesty that always surprised me. Can anybod…
Umbrella lockers in Japan are always free. They're just a more secure version of the convenience store trypophobia buckets.
Re: Japan’s Lost-and-Found System
#15As someone who lives in Japan I believe this is not a result of "Japanese people being more honest", but rather: - Availability. There are police stations (kobans) and officers on the street everywhere, just a few steps away from wherever I may find something. Turning in a lost item has no friction. All it takes is a few extra steps. In the U.S. there is huge friction - I would need to go out of my way to go to a pol…
> The general view of police and government as your "friendly helper" as opposed to enemies.
The US has a much more negative and adversarial view of govt in general, but in polls a large majority has a much more favorable view of cops versus other govt agencies. Certainly it's a terrible generalization to say americans view cops as enemies.
One import factor here is where specifically you live. Police in the US are local systems which totally differ based on local laws and culture. In a place like Los Angeles County, with its high crime problems, cops are a lot more jaded and defensive. Meanwhile in the small beach cities in LA, the cops are very helpful and mellow.
Re: Japan’s Lost-and-Found System
#16As someone who lives in Japan I believe this is not a result of "Japanese people being more honest", but rather: - Availability. There are police stations (kobans) and officers on the street everywhere, just a few steps away from wherever I may find something. Turning in a lost item has no friction. All it takes is a few extra steps. In the U.S. there is huge friction - I would need to go out of my way to go to a pol…
That is what we in the US call "community policing" which is how it used to be. The cultural image of a policeman used to be the overweight donut eating totally approachable "dad" type figure, look at pretty much any hollywood movie or show from the 70s or 80s. And since 9/11 the police have gotten a lot more militaristic. But police departments all over the country are TRYING to return to the idea of community polic…
That's interesting. Thinking about it a bit more, my current image comes from the fact that I never had "positive" interactions with police or government workers in the U.S. The only interactions I ever had with the police were when I did something wrong like speeding, or carrying alcohol outside.
In Japan, kids constantly have small positive interactions with the police, government workers, or other people in uniform. They may greet or bow to you on the street, help with traffic, announce trains, etc. That contributes to the image that they are approachable and want to help you. If you grow up with that, you'll have a very different image of the police.
Re: Japan’s Lost-and-Found System
#17What always stumped me is that there are virtually always lockers for umbrellas available (the exception being if they have appliances where you can wrap your umbrella into a plastic wrap before entering. That's mostly found in malls and department stores). Given that the standard plastic issue umbrella is sold in any konbini [7/11 et al]) for 500yen combined with Japanese honesty that always surprised me. Can anybod…
Umbrella lockers in Japan are always free. They're just a more secure version of the convenience store trypophobia buckets.
Yes, I know that they're free. I was just wondering why such an ubiquitous thing like a usually very cheap umbrella needs to be locked away in the first place. In Japan from all places.
Of course, and if it's only a standard bucket, there's a very good chance that you walk away with the wrong umbrella. But are people really that attached to their specific personal umbrella, which is exactly the same as yours, that this matters?
To the other replier: They're very common in museums and comparable venues. Department stores usually have that appliance thing were your umbrella gets wrapped in a plastic baggie to avoid dripping. One wonders, alas, how sustainable that is.
Re: Japan’s Lost-and-Found System
#18As someone who lives in Japan I believe this is not a result of "Japanese people being more honest", but rather: - Availability. There are police stations (kobans) and officers on the street everywhere, just a few steps away from wherever I may find something. Turning in a lost item has no friction. All it takes is a few extra steps. In the U.S. there is huge friction - I would need to go out of my way to go to a pol…
I agree with you that it's easy to return things in Japan.
I also think there is a slight flip-side, at least in the city. There are so many people crammed together that there is a sense of always being watched, doubly so if you are a minority.
I remember picking up a 100yen coin (about 1USD) in a train station. Normally I would just put it in my pocket and think "lucky me" but I was keenly aware of the station worker watching me from the ticket office. I walked over to the worker and handed him the coin saying it was lost property.
I do sometimes wonder what happened to that 100yen.
Re: Japan’s Lost-and-Found System
#19I've never been to Japan, but whenever I read these articles, I am reminded of the Japanese word 'Kaizen' which means to continuously improve your work. The way I understand it is to step outside of yourself while working and to see your output as to how it will be perceived over time and from an outsider's point of view and ask from that person's point of view what could be done better. I might be wrong, but to me,…
This might come off as somewhat pessimistic but I actually think Japan is one of the worst implementers of Kaizen anywhere. Japanese are famously conservative in how they work, with employees largely avoiding taking on any responsibility and spreading out tasks and checks. The end result being no-one really stands out, but also that no-one is ever really singularly "at fault" as every decision and check is daisy-chai…
Whenever I've heard of kaizen in Western media it is usually applied to Toyota, who applies it in manufacturing.
With the caveat that I have also never worked in a Japanese factory floor, that might be the difference between white and blue-collar work in Japan.
Re: Japan’s Lost-and-Found System
#20What always stumped me is that there are virtually always lockers for umbrellas available (the exception being if they have appliances where you can wrap your umbrella into a plastic wrap before entering. That's mostly found in malls and department stores). Given that the standard plastic issue umbrella is sold in any konbini [7/11 et al]) for 500yen combined with Japanese honesty that always surprised me. Can anybod…
Here is a video of said umbrella lockers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjTwPII-mxk
With many people using the same cheap plastic umbrella it is very difficult to tell which one is yours. I have had quite a few umbrellas "taken by mistake".
How much "taking by mistake" is a euphemism for "stealing", well, I'll let you be the judge.
My hack: attach a small key to your umbrella handle. Many people will think twice about taking a key.