Left Your Bag on the Yamanote Line? Tokyo Lost Property Guide for Tourists (2026)

Quick Answer

Which number you call depends on where you lost the item. Find your scenario below.

• JR lines (Yamanote, Chuo, Sobu, Keihin-Tohoku and other JR in Greater Tokyo): JR East Infoline 050-2016-1603 (English, 10:00–18:00)
• Tokyo Metro (Ginza, Marunouchi, Hibiya, Tozai, Chiyoda, Yurakucho, Hanzomon, Namboku, Fukutoshin): 0120-104-767 (English, 9:00–20:00)
• Toei (Asakusa, Mita, Shinjuku, Oedo Lines; Toei buses; Arakawa streetcar): 03-3816-5700 (English + 4 more languages)
• Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo–Shin-Osaka): JR Central 050-3772-3910 option 3 (interpreter available, 9:00–17:00)
• Private railways (Keio, Odakyu, Tokyu, Tobu, Seibu, Keikyu, Keisei): each operator runs its own customer line — see the Trains section
• Taxi: call the company shown on your receipt. No receipt → nearest koban (police box)
• Restaurants, konbini, stores: go back the same day, or call the venue directly
• Airports: Narita FAQ at narita-airport.jp/en/faq/lost/ / Haneda Find Chat at tokyo-haneda.com/en/faq/lost_property.html
• Not sure where, or 2+ days have passed: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Lost Property Center 0570-550-142 (English, weekdays 8:30–16:30, Iidabashi Station)

Caveat: 0120 toll-free and 0570 navi-dial numbers cannot be called from outside Japan. Use a Japanese SIM, eSIM, hotel phone, or ask your accommodation to dial on your behalf.

Trains and taxis hold items for a few days, then forward them to the police, who keep them for three months. If you act within the first 24 hours your chances are high.

What to Do in the First 10 Minutes

Time matters. Lost items move from where you left them to a regional collection point quickly, sometimes within hours. Three steps cover the bulk of cases:

1. If it’s a train: Get off and tell the next station staff. Note the line, train direction, time, and car number if you remember it.
2. If it’s a taxi: Find your receipt. The taxi company phone number, the taxi’s registration number, and the time of the ride are on it.
3. If it’s a shop or restaurant: Go back. Most Japanese shops keep forgotten items at the counter for at least the same day.

Save your seat reservation email if you were on a Shinkansen — it shows train number, car number, and seat, which JR Central staff use to locate the item.

Trains: JR East, Tokyo Metro, Toei, and the Shinkansen

Tokyo’s rail network is split across multiple operators. The line you rode determines which company you call.

JR East (Yamanote, Chuo, Sobu, Keihin-Tohoku and other JR lines in Greater Tokyo)

• JR East Infoline: 050-2016-1603 (from inside Japan), +81-50-2016-1603 (from outside Japan)
• Hours: 10:00–18:00 (closed during year-end and New Year holidays)
• Languages: English, Chinese, Korean
• In person: JR East Lost & Found, Tokyo Station, Yaesu side, 1st floor near the Nihonbashi Exit. Counter hours 8:30–20:00.

Tokyo Metro (Ginza, Marunouchi, Hibiya, Tozai, Chiyoda, Yurakucho, Hanzomon, Namboku, Fukutoshin)

• Phone: 0120-104-767 (English, Chinese, Korean)
• Hours: 9:00–20:00
• In person: Lost & Found Center, Iidabashi Station (Namboku Line side, outside the fare gates)
• Items stay at the Iidabashi center for roughly three to four days before being transferred to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Lost Property Center.

Toei (Asakusa, Mita, Shinjuku, Oedo Lines; Toei buses; Toden Arakawa streetcar)

• Phone: 03-3816-5700 (Toei Transportation Customer Center)
• Languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese
• In person: Any Toei subway station or the office responsible for the bus route

JR Central (Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka)

This is important: if you lost something on a Shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto or Osaka, it is JR Central, not JR East.

• Phone: 050-3772-3910 (select option 3 for lost property)
• Hours: 9:00–17:00 JST, interpreter available for non-Japanese speakers
• 24-hour option: JR Central’s official LINE account has a “find chat” feature open year-round

JR Central can mail a recovered item to any address inside Japan for a small courier fee — useful if you have already moved on to your next city.

Private railways (Keio, Odakyu, Tokyu, Tobu, Seibu, Keikyu, Keisei)

Each operator runs its own lost-and-found desk. The fastest path is to call the line’s customer service number, which is posted in English on the operator’s website. If the language barrier is hard, ask the staff at any station of that line — they can call the central office in Japanese on your behalf.

Taxis: Why Your Receipt Is Everything

Japanese taxis do not share a central lost-and-found system. Recovery depends almost entirely on whether you can identify which taxi you took. The receipt is the key.

With a receipt: The taxi receipt shows the taxi company name and phone number, the individual taxi’s registration number, the date and time of the ride, and a receipt number. Call the company, give them the receipt number and a description of the item, and they will check with the driver.

Without a receipt: File a report at the nearest koban (police box). The koban will log a description and route it to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Lost Property Center. Without a receipt, recovery is harder but not impossible — Tokyo taxi drivers are trained to turn in lost items, and the police database is searchable.

The Tokyo Taxi Center (the industry body for Tokyo’s taxi fleets) keeps lost items at its lost-and-found office for up to a week before forwarding them to the police.

Restaurants, Konbini, and Department Stores

Shops in Japan are generally cooperative with lost items. The expected pattern:

• Convenience stores (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson): Staff keep forgotten items behind the counter, often until the end of the same day. Some stores hold an item for 24 hours, then transfer it to the local police.
• Restaurants, cafes, izakaya: Items are kept behind the counter. Going back the same day gives the highest chance of recovery.
• Department stores (Isetan, Mitsukoshi, Takashimaya, Tokyu, etc.): Most have a lost-and-found counter on the basement floor or service floor. Larger stores keep items for several days before sending them to the police.

If you cannot return in person, the establishment’s main phone number works. Describing the item, the date, the time, and where you sat helps the staff find it faster.

Airports: Narita and Haneda

Both major Tokyo airports have dedicated lost-and-found systems with English support.

Narita International Airport (NRT)

• Inquiries: 24-hour phone line via the airport’s general contact center
• Online FAQ: narita-airport.jp/en/faq/lost/
• Each terminal has its own Information Counter for in-person reports

Haneda Airport (HND)

• Find Chat: Online chat service for lost property reports
• Phone: Through the airport’s main customer support line
• Online FAQ: tokyo-haneda.com/en/faq/lost_property.html

Airline lost-and-found is separate. If you left something at your gate or on board, contact the airline directly (JAL, ANA, and most international carriers have English-language web forms). Limousine Bus (the airport bus operator) also has its own lost-and-found page in English.

The Police: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Lost Property Center

If two or three days have passed since you lost the item, or if you are not sure where you lost it, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Lost Property Center is the central hub.

• Address: 1-9-11 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0004
• Phone: 0570-550-142
• Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30–16:30. Closed on national holidays and the New Year period (December 29 – January 3)
• Languages: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
• Nearest station: Iidabashi (JR Sobu Line East Exit; Tokyo Metro Tozai Line Exit A3; Yurakucho or Namboku Line Exit B1; Toei Oedo Line Exit C2)

This is the same Iidabashi station served by the Tokyo Metro Lost & Found Center, so a single trip can cover both checks if the item could have been left on a Tokyo Metro line.

What English Support Actually Looks Like

“English supported” can mean different things at different desks. Here is what each service is set up to deliver:

• JR East Infoline, Tokyo Metro 0120 number, Toei Customer Center: Live operator in English. The conversation can be entirely in English, including taking a detailed item description.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Police Lost Property Center: English support for in-person visits and phone calls, but written reports may still be filed in Japanese on the police side.
• Local police boxes (koban): English ability varies widely. Many koban staff use translation apps. Having the address of where you lost the item written down in Japanese helps a lot.
• JR Central Shinkansen: Interpreter routed in by phone, so there can be a short wait.

Picking Up Your Item: Hours, Fees, ID Requirements

When the item is found, you go to the relevant office to collect it. The standard requirements:

• ID: A government-issued photo ID. For tourists, the passport is the standard document. A driver’s license from your home country is sometimes accepted as supporting ID.
• Hours: Check the specific office’s hours before traveling there. Police centers close at 16:30 weekdays and on holidays.
• Fees: Most agencies do not charge for recovery itself. JR Central charges a small courier fee if you ask them to mail an item to a domestic address.
• Finder’s reward: Japan’s Lost Property Act gives the finder the right to claim a reward of 5 to 20 percent of the item’s value. In practice, finders rarely request it for low-value items, and railway companies that find items themselves do not charge a reward. Cash sums of several thousand yen and above are where this rule becomes practical.

How long does each entity hold the item?

• Train operators: A few days (reported as three to four for Tokyo Metro) at the operator’s own center.
• Tokyo Taxi Center: Up to one week.
• Police: Three months under the Lost Property Act. If no owner claims it during that period, the finder can claim ownership in the following two months.

If you have already left Japan, the police can still process your case. Provide a working email address or phone number where they can reach you, or designate a contact person in Japan who can collect on your behalf.

Foreigner-Specific Concerns

A few situations come up often for visitors:

• Lost passport: Report to the nearest police station first to get a loss report (ishitsu todoke 遺失届), then contact your embassy. The passport center will need both documents to issue an emergency travel document.
• Lost wallet with no Japanese address: When filing a police report, provide your hotel or Airbnb address so the police can reach you while you are still in Japan.
• Lost item on the last day before flying home: Ask the airport hotel concierge or your Airbnb host to receive the item on your behalf, then forward it overseas. Some shops, like Yamato Transport and Sagawa Express, offer international forwarding from a local address.

FAQ

Q. How fast should I act if I leave something on a train?
The first 30 minutes are the best window. Items often stay on the train through several stops; staff at the next station can radio ahead.

Q. Do JR East lost-and-found offices accept English?
Yes. The JR East Infoline (050-2016-1603) operates in English, Chinese, and Korean from 10:00 to 18:00.

Q. What if I lost my passport?
File a loss report at the nearest police station, then contact your embassy. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Lost Property Center can confirm whether the passport has been turned in to them.

Q. Can the police mail my item to my home country?
The police do not arrange international shipping. You can either return in person, designate someone in Japan to receive it for you, or ask the police to release the item to a domestic forwarding agent.

Q. How long does each agency hold lost items?
Train operators: a few days. Taxi center: up to a week. Police: three months legally, then two more months for the finder to claim ownership.

Q. What ID do I need to claim my item?
A passport for tourists. The collection officer may also ask for the original receipt (for taxi cases) or your Suica/PASMO number (for some train operators).

Q. Do I have to pay a finder’s reward?
A reward applies if a private individual found the item and requests one. The legal range is 5–20 percent of the item’s value. Railway companies and shops generally do not request a reward.

Q. What if I don’t have my taxi receipt?
Go to the nearest koban (police box) and file a description. Without the receipt, the chance of identifying the specific taxi is lower, but Tokyo drivers turn in lost items at high rates.

Q. Are convenience stores helpful for lost items?
Yes for short windows. Most 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson stores hold items behind the counter until the end of the day, then route them to local police.

Q. Can I track my lost item online in English?
Tokyo Metropolitan Police has an English search page, but it shows aggregate data rather than your specific item. Direct phone or in-person contact remains the fastest method.

Last updated: May 2026. Phone numbers and operating hours sourced from official operator pages and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Confirm details directly with the relevant office before traveling to it.