It’s almost impossible to lose anything in Japan • Hacker News Board

Re: It’s almost impossible to lose anything in Japan

#41

Post by wirthjason » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 7:01 AM UTC

ehnto wrote: post #33

wirthjason wrote: post #22

This article is obviously not talking about bicycles. :) Is there some kind of HN Japanese article trend recently? In any case I appreciate the culture of getting lost stuff returned in Japan much more than “magical” conbinis. The article mentions money so I’ll add my anecdote. Many years ago as a student we had a going away party for some friends who were returning to the US. Someone had a “genius” plan to beat the…

Here's my anecdote: I lost my phone in Japan once, in Tokyo. I was steaming after a night of karaoke and somewhere between the bar, taxi and my hotel, I'd lost my phone. I wandered down to the street at 3am, retracing my steps, and a police officer noticed me and asked what I was looking for. He pointed me back to the hotel reception where where we got on the phone to the taxi company, and then directly onto the driv…

    > I was steaming after a night of karaoke and somewhere between the bar, taxi and my hotel, I'd lost my phone.

A lost phone sobers you up pretty quickly! Especially for what would have been a very fun night. I’m sure there was a nice sigh of relief after getting your phone back though. All is well that ends well!

Re: It’s almost impossible to lose anything in Japan

#42

Post by emteycz » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 7:14 AM UTC

Galanwe wrote: post #35

Japan is often taken as an example for this kind of things, but I think the overall thing can span to most of Asia, though with varying degrees. Singapore would be an even greater extreme. I remember a friend telling me he was seated at a restaurant table, and two girls on the table next to him go out to smoke outside. The waiter came back to give back the credit card to the girls and found their table empty. The wai…

Wouldn't stealing that card get you flogging or something like it? Who would steal in these conditions...

Re: It’s almost impossible to lose anything in Japan

#43

Post by _tik_ » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 7:21 AM UTC

from my experience this is quite normal in Taiwan and Singapore too. I saw few leave their iPhone or Laptop on the food court table.

Re: It’s almost impossible to lose anything in Japan

#44

Post by srvmshr » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 7:23 AM UTC

I forgot my laptop backpack on the benches in Shibuya station on a drunk Friday night. The station staff retrieved and kept it for me. I thought it was a goner and I was few months old to Japan then.

The honesty system works on mutual trust

Re: It’s almost impossible to lose anything in Japan

#45

Post by vagrantJin » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 7:30 AM UTC

I must say, the US seems to have a fetish for Japan as Japan has a fetish for the US. It's cute.

Re: It’s almost impossible to lose anything in Japan

#46

Post by 88840-8855 » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 7:31 AM UTC

wirthjason wrote: post #22

This article is obviously not talking about bicycles. :) Is there some kind of HN Japanese article trend recently? In any case I appreciate the culture of getting lost stuff returned in Japan much more than “magical” conbinis. The article mentions money so I’ll add my anecdote. Many years ago as a student we had a going away party for some friends who were returning to the US. Someone had a “genius” plan to beat the…

Yes, the article is a bit black and white. Of course it is possible to lose things in Japan. There are a lot of bad guys and girls there.

I lived there, worked there. I once dated a girl who turned out to have mental health issues. She probably had a sociopathic disorder; often she would just walk into a store and steal groceries. She had money, in fact she was doing very well financially. And yet she stole.

The other time, she came back with a bike she stole from a JR station. She kept it for a few days and then left it somewhere. When necessary, she stole again, again and again.

Japan is strange in many ways. Bikes are registered and have something like a "number plate" (that's a sticker on the frame). I have experienced several police checks myself. I was stopped with my bike every time the police was doing random checks. The police checked the registration and asked me many questions - I guess because of racial profiling (Japan is a very racist country). Why am I telling this? This girl was also stopped a few times with the stolen bikes, but she had this "thing" where she could keep a cool head in such situations and lie/convince people easily. She never felt any consequences for her actions.

To make it short; It was a horrible time dating her. Thank God this "relationship" didn't last too long.

Re: It’s almost impossible to lose anything in Japan

#47

Post by version_five » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 7:36 AM UTC

abhijat wrote: post #7

version_five wrote: post #2

Interesting to read that > In Japan, citizens are required to take lost property to the Koban (police station). From there, it is either returned or stored at the Tokyo hub until claimed. A few years ago, I found a wallet on the ground and I took it to the police station. (The experience itself was a bit bizarre, they evidently had a "triage" system where you have to use a computer to select why you're there and get…

Which country are you talking of?

This was in Canada, in a "big" city, with it's own police foce. I don't know that its representative of all police forces - this was obviously one the consultants had got to. (Though as an aside, canada doesn't have many smaller police forces anymore, smaller municipalities all outsource, e.g. to the OPP in Ontario so they may mostly have similar practices).

The only other time I was at a police station was when my car was stolen 20 years ago, and it was very different, with an actual receptionist and a place you could sit down and talk to an officer.

Re: It’s almost impossible to lose anything in Japan

#48

Post by tluyben2 » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 7:43 AM UTC

ehnto wrote: post #33

wirthjason wrote: post #22

This article is obviously not talking about bicycles. :) Is there some kind of HN Japanese article trend recently? In any case I appreciate the culture of getting lost stuff returned in Japan much more than “magical” conbinis. The article mentions money so I’ll add my anecdote. Many years ago as a student we had a going away party for some friends who were returning to the US. Someone had a “genius” plan to beat the…

Here's my anecdote: I lost my phone in Japan once, in Tokyo. I was steaming after a night of karaoke and somewhere between the bar, taxi and my hotel, I'd lost my phone. I wandered down to the street at 3am, retracing my steps, and a police officer noticed me and asked what I was looking for. He pointed me back to the hotel reception where where we got on the phone to the taxi company, and then directly onto the driv…

> I'd just dropped it under my bag

We (wife and me) had a, now hilarious, run through Melbourne Chasing my iPhone which was ‘stolen’ when we were in a restaurant ; we used the Apple find my phone feature and the phone kept moving all through Melbourne. We had told hotel staff to open up a room we ‘knew’ it was in (luckily they did not), we chased a truck, etc etc. It was in our hotel room, under my bag all that time; I set the stolen sound so it must have made a hell of a fuss; it was making alarm sounds until it was empty. Apple find my phone was absolutely worthless in Melbourne, not sure if it improved but it was fun after; I did not know I would or could run this many miles for a phone. Definitely alcohol as a sober me would’ve probably just emailed the insurance and got a new phone.

Re: It’s almost impossible to lose anything in Japan

#49

Post by mise_en_place » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 7:45 AM UTC

88840-8855 wrote: post #46

wirthjason wrote: post #22

This article is obviously not talking about bicycles. :) Is there some kind of HN Japanese article trend recently? In any case I appreciate the culture of getting lost stuff returned in Japan much more than “magical” conbinis. The article mentions money so I’ll add my anecdote. Many years ago as a student we had a going away party for some friends who were returning to the US. Someone had a “genius” plan to beat the…

Yes, the article is a bit black and white. Of course it is possible to lose things in Japan. There are a lot of bad guys and girls there. I lived there, worked there. I once dated a girl who turned out to have mental health issues. She probably had a sociopathic disorder; often she would just walk into a store and steal groceries. She had money, in fact she was doing very well financially. And yet she stole. The othe…

My sister is very much like that, and it’s also why I had to cut contact with her for a while. She would often take things of mine without asking, and wouldn’t feel any remorse. She is also an extremely good liar, one of the best I’ve ever seen.

Re: It’s almost impossible to lose anything in Japan

#50

Post by skhr0680 » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 7:47 AM UTC

cko wrote: post #24

I loved Tokyo when I visited especially because of the safety. A coworker happened to be there with me at the same time and we even joked about moving there. I understand they have a tough immigration system. Short of getting a job there, how can a US citizen live there?

> I understand they have a tough immigration system.

It's a joke (in a good way) compared to other developed nations, the whole process costs $50 or so.

> Short of getting a job there, how can a US citizen live there?

Be in the military, get posted to the Japanese office of your company, get married to a Japanese, or have a stack of cash