Phones left in taxis. Briefcases forgotten under train seats. Dropped wallets, abandoned umbrellas, misplaced purses. Japan’s 126 million residents lose a vast number of personal items every year. But a remarkably high percentage of them are returned to their rightful owners. 

This week we explore the factors driving Japan’s efficient lost-and-found system, and its uncanny ability to reunite owners with lost property. 

Special thanks to CityLab, who originally published an article on which this episode is based; and to the anonymous person in Takasaki, Japan who once turned in my wallet to the police