WHAT IF ONE OF MY CHILDREN GET LOST IN JAPAN?
This article is part of my ” Guide for Anxious Parents in Japan” blog post.
I have had this happen once at Ikea in Chiba and it was the longest 2 minutes of my life. We haven’t had it happen, thank goodness, at Disneyland or in a crowded place. BUT …. I will share with you what we talk about as a family incase this is ever to happen.
Our family rule is that , if you can’t see Mummy and Daddy, you are to not move far from where you last saw them.
Then, ask for help from a woman working in a shop OR a women who is walking by with her own children. (Sorry to be sexist but this is what I feel most comfortable with. Also, mother’s worldwide are always quite alert and aware to the usual nature of a child walking alone. )
I talk about other tricky scenarios like this and some phrases that might help in my article Japanese Phrases to Help with a Potentially Tricky Scenario
But here are some phrases you could use right away if you can’t spot your child for even a moment. Dont try and pronounce. Just point and go, okay?
My child is lost
私の（子供が）迷子になりました
Watashi no kodomo ga maigo ni narimashita
Please help me.
助けてください
Tasukette kudasai
Please do something.
なんとかして下さい
Nantoka shite kudasai
Is it possible for you to make a (lost child) announcement please?
迷子のアナウンスをしていただくことは可能ですか？
Maigo no anaunsu o shite kudasai (shorter spoken version)
Please take me to the police station.
交番まで連れて行って下さい
Kouban made tsurete itte kudasai
Please call the police.
警察を呼んで下さい
Keisatsu o yonde kudasai
Please help me look.
一緒に探して下さい
Issho ni sagashite kudasai
Also, remember that Japan LOVES a system. If you child is found in a department store they will be escorted to an information desk or a Lost child booth. So try your best to stay calm and get the message across…then stop… .listen…. and follow instructions.You can also google your closest KOBAN and go there when you feel it is the right time. A KOBAN is a small police station located all over all cities in Japan.
JAPAN IS A VERY SAFE COUNTRY. Of course, nowhere is perfect BUT children as young as 6 walk themselves to school and even take the train alone every single day.
As with travelling anywhere – we have a talk to our children often about what to do if they can’t see us and the main rule is to stay put, yell out loudly and ask a Mum with a child to assist. Some people like AirTags in their kids’ pockets but that idea doesn’t personally bring me much piece of mind.
