What to do when you have lost your item on a Shinkansen.
If you left your belonging on the Shinkansen, the chance of getting it back is high. If it’s something you treasure, it is worth checking with JR. The lost item will be collected at the last station before the shinkansen moves to the next trip.
To contact JR, you need this information as much as you can think of.
- Where you lost it. If you still have the train ticket, it has all the detail you need, such as shinkansen information, departure and arrival time, and seat location.
- What you lost. Any detail would help them find the right thing, such as size, colour, brand name, and material.
If you are at the station.
If you realise you left your property at the station, you should find a lost and found desk and talk to the person immediately.
This will increase the chance of finding it as they can contact the shinkansen crew and they can look for it as soon as possible.
If you have already left the station.
If you have already left the station, you can contact them by phone or mail.
- JR East (English)
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/customer_support/infoline.html - JR West (English)
https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/support/inquiry/ - JR central (Japanese)
https://jr-central.co.jp/find/mail/
Phone: 050 3772 3910
How to recieve the item if they found.
Once they find your item, there are two options for you to collect it.
If the item is not far away, you can go and pick it up from where it is kept. It’s normally at the last station on the line. You will need your identification to receive once you are there.
They will not transfer the item to the nearby station to you, so you need to go there.
If the item is a long way away, or you have already left the country, JR is able to post it to your address by cash on delivery.
How long will they keep the item?
It depends on which station and what you lost. They normally store the item for 3 days, and then your item will be registered as lost and found at the police station.
But if the item is not important, such as magazines, umbrella or food, they will dispose of them.
