Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
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Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#2discipline, education and culture
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#3"Tamura describes the concept of 'hito no me'; the ‘societal eye’. Even without a police presence, no theft will occur while there is hito no me. But left in a place where there is no one watching, thefts do occur."
"Likewise, in Shintoism everything, from rocks to trees, possesses a spirit. While organised Shintoism is a minority practice in Japan, omniscient objects permeate the culture....if you are always being watched and your natural disposition is to think of others first, it is natural that you would be bothered to hand in the lost item."
The concept of "standing out" is a bit foreign in collectivist cultures like Japan, and getting blamed/shunned/etc for stealing would be mentally taxing.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#4"What’s in it for the finder to be honest enough to hand in the item?"
By asking this question, you deny yourself access to its answer.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#5I experienced this while visiting Japan.
While doing a transfer on the Shinkansen in Hiroshima, I left my camera bag at a noodle kiosk on the platform (around $3k worth of equipment). Didn't realize it until 2 hours after getting on the next train.
When we arrived at our destination, I told my friend we were meeting (a Japanese native) what happened, and she reassured me that it would be right where I left it (said something about there being a "taboo" with the Japanese and touching other people's private property).
So we walked over to the JR attendant and explained what happened, and in no time at all she had the other station attendant on the line who confirmed they found my bag. Just as easy as that.
Then I proceeded to lose my wallet and passport in a taxi, which we recovered just as easily!
Japan is a great country to visit, if while abroad you displace the part of your brain that keeps track of things...
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#6I think part of this is that a far greater proportion of "lost" valuables in Japan are _really_ lost than in other countries, street crime being pretty rare.
But still, that 6% figure for New York! Can it be true? Is it really normal to steal other people's shit if they leave it behind?
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#7> In a study comparing dropped phones and wallets in New York and Tokyo, 88% of phones “lost” by the researchers were handed into the police by Tokyo residents, compared to 6% of the ones “lost” in New York. Likewise, 80% of Tokyo wallets were handed in compared to 10% in New York.
Wow!
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#8"What’s in it for the finder to be honest enough to hand in the item?" By asking this question, you deny yourself access to its answer.
When you take a basic moral truth, but then phrase it so that it will not immediately be apparent what you are saying....
You create the appearance of profound wisdom. And often book deals.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#9I remember forgetting an umbrella in a restaurant in Tokyo, and being chased down in the street by someone returning it. It was pretty amazing.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#10This smells like a lot of post-hoc rationalization. Collectivism? What about China, which did terribly on this kind of test. Shintoism? Only 3-4% of the population follows that. See https://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-people-are-honest-los... where the graphic in the middle of the page compares countries. It appears that Scandinavian countries fare best followed by Eastern European. I would be happy to hear what people at HN think are the real reasons.
For what it's worth, as a scatterbrained person, I think it would be great living in a country with so much trust that I could expect my lost things not to be stolen.