Thousands of umbrellas, each meticulously tagged and organized according to where and when they were lost, are stored in containers at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Lost and Found Centre in the Iidabashi area of central Tokyo. — AFP

Have you misplaced your umbrella, keys, or even a flying squirrel? In Tokyo, the police are likely taking great care of it. In Japan, lost items seldom remain unclaimed for long, even in a metropolis like Tokyo with a population of 14 million.

"Foreign visitors are frequently astonished to retrieve their belongings," said Hiroshi Fujii, a 67-year-old tour guide, describing Tokyo's expansive police lost-and-found centre. "But in Japan, there's always an expectation that we will." Fujii explained to AFP that it's a "national trait" to report items found in public places in Japan. "We pass down this custom of reporting things we picked up, from parents to children."

Approximately 80 staff members at the police centre in Tokyo's central Iidabashi district ensure items are well organized using a database system, according to its director Harumi Shoji. Everything is tagged and sorted to expedite their return to rightful owners. ID cards and driving licenses are the most commonly lost items, Shoji said. However, dogs, cats, and even exotic animals like flying squirrels and iguanas have been brought to police stations, where officers care for them "with great sensitivity"—consulting books, online articles, and veterinarians for guidance.

Last year, over four million items were handed in to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, with about 70 percent of valuables such as wallets, phones, and important documents successfully returned to their owners. "Even if it's just a key, we enter details such as the mascot keychain it's attached to," Shoji said in a room filled with belongings, including a large Cookie Monster stuffed toy. Over the course of one afternoon, dozens of people visited the centre to collect or search for their lost property, which is received from train station staff or small local police stations across Tokyo if not claimed within two weeks.

"The first thing we think is that people who lost their items must be in trouble, so I think it's normal for us to report it to police," Shoji said. If no one claims an item within three months, it is sold or discarded. The number of lost items handled by the centre is rising as Japan welcomes a record influx of tourists post-pandemic, and as gadgets become smaller, Shoji noted. Wireless earphones and hand-held fans are increasingly common at the lost-and-found centre, which has been operating since the 1950s. However, a staggering 200 square metres (2,100 square feet) is dedicated to lost umbrellas—300,000 were brought in last year, with only 3,700 returned, Shoji said. "We have a designated floor for umbrellas... during the rainy season, there are so many umbrellas that the umbrella trolley is overflowing and we have to store them in two tiers."

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