I found 5000 yen and took it to the police. Here is why it was more of a hassle than I expected.

One day in March.

I found a 5000 yen bill lying on the ground on the first floor of the building where I worked at the time.

It wasn't a wallet, just a single 5000 yen bill.

I looked around a bit, but there was no one who looked like the owner.

I decided to take it to the building's security office.

Then, the receptionist asked me one thing.

"Do you wish to claim your rights?"

Honestly, at first,

"No, that sounds like a hassle, so I'm fine"

is what I thought about saying.

But at that moment, my curiosity got the better of me.

If the owner doesn't show up, does it really become the property of the person who found it?

I wanted to know what the actual process was like.

So, this time, I decided to go ahead and claim my rights.

I filled out a lost property report at the security office.

Since it was found inside the building, they told me the building management would report it to the police.

The things I heard then were interesting.

If the owner appears, the finder can claim a reward.

The amount is 5 to 20 percent of the found value.

However, in places with management like buildings or department stores, that right is split with the facility.

In other words, it actually comes out to 2.5 to 10%.

For 5000 yen, that's at most about 500 yen.

"I see, so that's how it works."

That was the first time I learned that.

A few days later, I got a call from the police.

And a "Lost Property Receipt" was mailed to me.

What was written here was,

if the owner doesn't appear within 3 months of the report, the person who found it gains the right to receive it

that is.

I thought I would definitely forget, so I registered it in my smartphone reminder on the spot.

And 3 months later.

When I called the police,

"The owner has not appeared"

they said.

I told them I would like to receive it then.

Here, a new problem arose.

Actually, my workplace had changed in April.

It would cost both money and time to go to the police station holding the lost item.

It really isn't worth it to make a round trip just to receive 5000 yen.

When I consulted them about it,

They told me there is a system where they can mail it to you.

If I fill out the necessary documents,

・A copy of my ID

・The lost property receipt

and send them in, they can handle it.

The moment I thought,

"That's great,"

the officer added one thing.

"It will be sent via Yu-Pack cash on delivery."

The fee would probably be around 900 yen.

Just to send a single 5000 yen bill.

I couldn't help but laugh.

Of course, it's cheaper than going to pick it up, so I asked them to mail it.

But after trying this out, I realized something.

I tried it because it was 5000 yen in cash, but

what if it had been 1000 yen?

The shipping costs alone would have wiped out almost all of it.

The conclusion I reached this time:

If you find cash far away and want to claim your rights to it, I don't recommend it for amounts under 1000 yen.

Of course, it's not just about the amount of money,

Filling out paperwork,

waiting for three months,

setting reminders,

contacting the police,

and then going through the mailing process.

It takes a fair amount of effort.

Just one last thing.

Some people might think, "Well, if you find it, why not just take it home?"

That is simply pocketing lost property, and it is a crime.

I claimed my rights this time to learn about the system,

but going through this experience made me realize that Japan's lost-and-found system is surprisingly robust.

Thanks to finding that 5000 yen,

it was an experience that taught me a lesson worth more than 5000 yen.

That is all.