In this podcast Ami and I talk about what to do if you lose your wallet or other personal items when in Japan. The good news is that Japanese people are generally very law abiding and honest. Therefore, if someone finds your lost item, there is a good chance they will hand it in to the police and you will get it back.
If you do lose something, the best idea is to ring the place you think you left it and ask if it has been found. If you lose something on the train it’s best to go to the station master’s office and ask there. If you drop something in the street then you should go to a Koban or police box.
This lesson focuses on how to call the last place you were at to ask the staff if they found you things. Study the vocabulary list and dialogs below to learn how to do it.
Main Podcast
Japanese Dialogues
Download, Get the App, Subscribe, Tell a friend
✓Download: Main Podcast | Japanese Dialogues | PDF Lesson Notes
✓ Get the app: iTunes App | Android App
✓ Subscribe: iTunes | Android | Spotify | Stitcher | Youtube
✓ Tell a friend: Twitter
Vocabulary featured in the podcast
| もしもし | Moshi moshi | Hello (On the phone) |
| 一番寿司でございます | Ichibanzushi de gozaimasu | This is Ichiban Sushi |
| すみません | Sumimasen | Excuse me |
| 昨日 | Kinō | Yesterday |
| そちら | Sochira | There (Polite) |
| 財布 | Saifu | Wallet |
| カバン | Kaban | Bag |
| 携帯電話 | Keitai denwa | Mobile phone |
| 忘れた | Wasureta | Forgot |
| 何色 | Nani iro | What colour |
| 少々お待ちください | Shōshō omachi kudasai | One moment please |
| 届いてますよ | Todoitemasu yo | It is here (Someone found it) |
| ありがとうございます | Arigtō gozaimasu | Thank you |
Dialog 01
| A: | もしもし幕張メッセでございます。 | Moshi moshi, Makuhari Messe de gozaimasu. | Hello, this is Makuhari Messe. |
| B: | すみません、昨日そちらで財布を忘れたのですが。 | Sumimasen, Kinō sochira de saifu o wasureta no desu ga. | Excuse me, I left a wallet there yesterday. |
| A: | 何色のお財布ですか。 | Nani iro no osaifu desu ka | What colour is the wallet? |
| B: | 黒い革の財布です。 | Kuroi kawa no saifu desu | It is a black leather wallet. |
| A: | 少々お待ちください。届いていますよ。 | Shōshō omachi kudasai. Todoite imasu yo. | One moment please. We have it. |
| B: | ありがとうございます。 | Arigatō gozaimasu. | Thank you very much. |
Dialog 02
| A: | もしもし一番寿司でございます。 | Moshi moshi, Ichibanzushi de gozaimasu. | Hello, this is Ichiban Sushi. |
| B: | すみません、昨日そちらでカバンを忘れたのですが。 | Sumimasen, Kinō sochira de kaban o wasureta no desu ga. | Excuse me, I left a bag there yesterday. |
| A: | 何色のおカバンですか。 | Nani iro no okaban desu ka | What colour is the bag? |
| B: | 赤い革のカバンです。 | Akai kawa no kaban desu | It is a red leather bag. |
| A: | 少々お待ちください。届いていますよ。 | Shōshō omachi kudasai. Todoite imasu yo. | One moment please. We have it. |
| B: | ありがとうございます。 | Arigatō gozaimasu. | Thank you very much. |
Dialog 03
| A: | もしもし六本木ヒルズでございます。 | Moshi moshi, Roppongi Hiruzu de gozaimasu. | Hello, this is Roppongi Hills. |
| B: | すみません、昨日そちらで携帯電話を忘れたのですが。 | Sumimasen, Kinō sochira de keitaidenwa o wasureta no desu ga. | Excuse me, I left a mobile phone there yesterday. |
| A: | 携帯電話の機種はなんですか。 | Keitaidenwa no kishu wa nan desu ka. | What type of phone is it? |
| B: | iPhone8です。 | iPhone hachi desu. | It’s an iPhone 8. |
| A: | 少々お待ちください。届いていますよ。 | Shōshō omachi kudasai. Todoite imasu yo. | One moment please. We have it. |
| B: | ありがとうございます。 | Arigatō gozaimasu. | Thank you very much. |
Extra Phrases
Let’s study some other phrases related to lost items:
1) 申し訳ありませんが財布は届いてないようです。
Mōshi wake arimasen ga saifu wa todoite inai yō desu.
I’m very sorry but it seems your wallet hasn’t been handed in.
2) 連絡先を教えていただけたら見つかり次第ご連絡します。
Renrakusaki o oshiete itadaketara mitsukari shidai gorenraku shimasu.
If you give me your contact details we’ll contact you the moment it is found.
3) 忘れ物
Wasuremono
Lost items
4) 紛失届け
Fun shitsu todoke
A form to fill out at the police station for lost items
Cultural Points
- The Japanese are generally quite law abiding and honest. Most times, if found, your lost items will be returned.
- If you lose something on the train go to the nearest 駅長室 Eki Chō shitsu – Station master’s office and tell them what you lost and on which train it was on. They’ll ring ahead to the next station or terminal station to see if they can locate your items.
- You can also go to any 交番 Koban police box to report lost or stolen items. For lost items you would write out a form called a 紛失届け Fun shitsu todoke
Random Phrase Of The Week
あたまが真っ白
Atama ga masshiro
When you mind goes completely blank or you are lost for words.
留守番電話を残す時いつもあたまが真っ白
Rusuban denwa o nokosu toki ni atama ga masshiro
When I leave a message on an answering machine my mind goes completely blank