I don’t know how, but sometime today at Hiroshima I had ¥15,000 taken from my wallet. Today I visited the Hiroshima peace museum, then a small soba restaurant. I can only imagine it happened while at the peace museum. I cannot believe it.
Where was your wallet? Are you saying them removed your wallet, took the money and put it back?
I’m sorry to hear that. Crimes happen in Japan and places like museums where people aren’t paying much attention to their belongings are one of the prime spots for pick pockets.
Firstly, damn.
Secondly, why are you carrying so much on you? 10,000 is enough for a week, let alone 100,000.
Thirdly, get yourself a pacsafe bag.
That sucks man. I’ve had a phone stolen in Spain with all my vacation photos (2011, pre-icloud) and randomly dropped $400 on my way to buy a bike back home. These things happen and we move on. Don’t beat yourself up. Chin up
Makes me feel better about bringing a crossbody bag.
I wonder how it happened? Taking the money and putting it back seems more difficult than it’s worth. You said you had Khakis on? Are the pockets excessively large and easy to access?
Either way, I’m sorry about that. Crime happens everywhere, even Japan and I bet tourists are the easiest targets. I‘m sure that doesn’t make you feel any better. Hopefully you’ll be able to put it behind you and enjoy the rest of your vacation.
You could go to the police (actual station, not a koban) and make a report. They’ll tell you there’s nothing they can do and try their best to get you out of the door because Japanese police are literally useless but if you insist on making a report at least it’s accounted for and there’s a minuscule possibility you’ll get it back. Kinda wastes precious vacation time though.
On a side note, I also had money stolen here once. Stupidly forgot my wallet on the top of my work locker, when I came back all but a 50 yen coin was taken. I only had 5550 yen in it because I’m poor. Still, I couldn’t stand the idea I was working with a thief and them been all chummy with me the next day so I ended up quitting. My work place was about 50% foreign workers but it could have been anyone.
Condolences! Despite what many say there, pickpockets do exist in Japan and there’s no better target for them than tourists.
I would love to say that you should contact police, but knowing how police in Japan go out of their way to avoid crime being registered I doubt it’s any meaningful.
Sorry to hear about that.
But the money might have been found and handed in somewhere.
I lost my driving licence in Kanazawa but when I got home to Ireland ten days later – it had been posted to my home address by the restaurant I had been in .
Pickpocket happens but grabbing the money from wallet then putting it back. That person must be highly skilled. Anyway, I never got more than 20000jpy in my wallet. Not enough I just go 7-11 using the ATM there
Jeepers. I’d be lucky to have more than 1man in my wallet ever. Credit cards plus Suica/Pasmo.
This weird context that Japan is a cash society has faded so much . Even before covid.
Need some cash. Any 7/11 will suffice.
Nobody steals a wallet and puts it back. You probably dropped the money.
Have you retraced your steps and asked at the museum if anyone turned in money to lost and found? It’s far more likely that you dropped your money by accident then to get pick pocketed in Japan. Can it happen, yes, but it’s unlikely. I’d retrace your steps or ask your hotel concierge to call the museum and ask them if you’re not in Hiroshima anymore.
ETA: Check at the Soba restaurant too.
Hey how did you get 15,000 yen with only 150$ CAD I am actually in Canada airport trying to exchange usd to yen but it ends up becoming a 200$ usd loss. Where in Japan did you exchange for not a massive fee?
I feel like we’ll have an update soon that your wife actually spent the money on something silly that she knew you wouldn’t approve of.
It’s prob much more likely you accidentally dropped the money sometime throughout the day
Probably dropped it
Sure you did… They are so nice to put it back tho!
It sounds like you may have dropped it. Thieves would usually steal the wallet altogether, not take a bit of money and return it. They don’t know whats in it before stealing so it’s strange to open and check first as it increases the likelihood of getting caught or noticed when putting it back.
No way. You paid the entrance to the museum or whatever and dropped it.
Absolutely can’t imagine a pickpocket in Japan, taking ¥15,000, then putting the wallet back in your pocket all with a bump.
More likely you either made a mistake of how much you had/spent, dropped the money, put it in another pocket or had someone give you wrong change. I vote for dropping like almost everyone here
Yea…. you probably dropped your money. No one puts a wallet back. That would the stupidest pick pocket person ever.
i think you dropped your money lol
If you only went to a couple of places (and only had your wallet out, paying for something twice) I would go back to each place and speak to the manager.
Tell them the date, produce your receipt (s) if you kept them, and explain that you may have given the cashier too much money. All businesses know if they were over at the end of the day (and note the amount).
The Hiroshima Peace Museum costs ¥200. A snack at a small Soba restaurant wouldn’t cost much, either. Do the math. You may have neglected to get your change, or just overpaid for something. You may be surprised at how honest people can be. If either place had the equivalent of $100+ *over* in their register that day, they would remember it.
Not saying that pickpocketing doesn’t exist, because it *does* but someone would have had to have been right next to you for more than a few seconds in order to pull this off. Yanking the entire wallet, yes. Grabbing the wallet, extracting funds, and nonchalantly replacing it without you knowing it translates into a master criminal. If they are *that* good, they should be robbing banks, not individuals.
I found $175 neatly folded in a parking lot one day. No one else around. I’m sure the person was as vexed as you are now. I genuinely hope that it comes back to you!
You sure you didn’t make a visit to a soapland and you’re posting this here to give an alibi to your wife?
Sorry but hard to belive what OP states. Probably, there is another reason behind, which we dont know or told.
Once, we dropped accidenly our freebag in Sapporo restorant, in which all our passports, credit cards and nearly 200K yen cash and restaurant staff run behind us and handed over it.
Japan is the most safest place and their culture is totaly against such pick pocketing or stealing.
25 comments
Where was your wallet? Are you saying them removed your wallet, took the money and put it back?
I’m sorry to hear that. Crimes happen in Japan and places like museums where people aren’t paying much attention to their belongings are one of the prime spots for pick pockets.
Firstly, damn.
Secondly, why are you carrying so much on you? 10,000 is enough for a week, let alone 100,000.
Thirdly, get yourself a pacsafe bag.
That sucks man. I’ve had a phone stolen in Spain with all my vacation photos (2011, pre-icloud) and randomly dropped $400 on my way to buy a bike back home. These things happen and we move on. Don’t beat yourself up. Chin up
Makes me feel better about bringing a crossbody bag.
I wonder how it happened? Taking the money and putting it back seems more difficult than it’s worth. You said you had Khakis on? Are the pockets excessively large and easy to access?
Either way, I’m sorry about that. Crime happens everywhere, even Japan and I bet tourists are the easiest targets. I‘m sure that doesn’t make you feel any better. Hopefully you’ll be able to put it behind you and enjoy the rest of your vacation.
You could go to the police (actual station, not a koban) and make a report. They’ll tell you there’s nothing they can do and try their best to get you out of the door because Japanese police are literally useless but if you insist on making a report at least it’s accounted for and there’s a minuscule possibility you’ll get it back. Kinda wastes precious vacation time though.
On a side note, I also had money stolen here once. Stupidly forgot my wallet on the top of my work locker, when I came back all but a 50 yen coin was taken. I only had 5550 yen in it because I’m poor. Still, I couldn’t stand the idea I was working with a thief and them been all chummy with me the next day so I ended up quitting. My work place was about 50% foreign workers but it could have been anyone.
Condolences! Despite what many say there, pickpockets do exist in Japan and there’s no better target for them than tourists.
I would love to say that you should contact police, but knowing how police in Japan go out of their way to avoid crime being registered I doubt it’s any meaningful.
Sorry to hear about that.
But the money might have been found and handed in somewhere.
I lost my driving licence in Kanazawa but when I got home to Ireland ten days later – it had been posted to my home address by the restaurant I had been in .
Pickpocket happens but grabbing the money from wallet then putting it back. That person must be highly skilled. Anyway, I never got more than 20000jpy in my wallet. Not enough I just go 7-11 using the ATM there
Jeepers. I’d be lucky to have more than 1man in my wallet ever.
Credit cards plus Suica/Pasmo.
This weird context that Japan is a cash society has faded so much . Even before covid.
Need some cash. Any 7/11 will suffice.
Nobody steals a wallet and puts it back. You probably dropped the money.
Have you retraced your steps and asked at the museum if anyone turned in money to lost and found? It’s far more likely that you dropped your money by accident then to get pick pocketed in Japan. Can it happen, yes, but it’s unlikely. I’d retrace your steps or ask your hotel concierge to call the museum and ask them if you’re not in Hiroshima anymore.
ETA: Check at the Soba restaurant too.
Hey how did you get 15,000 yen with only 150$ CAD I am actually in Canada airport trying to exchange usd to yen but it ends up becoming a 200$ usd loss. Where in Japan did you exchange for not a massive fee?
I feel like we’ll have an update soon that your wife actually spent the money on something silly that she knew you wouldn’t approve of.
It’s prob much more likely you accidentally dropped the money sometime throughout the day
Probably dropped it
Sure you did… They are so nice to put it back tho!
It sounds like you may have dropped it. Thieves would usually steal the wallet altogether, not take a bit of money and return it. They don’t know whats in it before stealing so it’s strange to open and check first as it increases the likelihood of getting caught or noticed when putting it back.
No way. You paid the entrance to the museum or whatever and dropped it.
Absolutely can’t imagine a pickpocket in Japan, taking ¥15,000, then putting the wallet back in your pocket all with a bump.
More likely you either made a mistake of how much you had/spent, dropped the money, put it in another pocket or had someone give you wrong change. I vote for dropping like almost everyone here
Yea…. you probably dropped your money. No one puts a wallet back. That would the stupidest pick pocket person ever.
i think you dropped your money lol
If you only went to a couple of places (and only had your wallet out, paying for something twice) I would go back to each place and speak to the manager.
Tell them the date, produce your receipt (s) if you kept them, and explain that you may have given the cashier too much money. All businesses know if they were over at the end of the day (and note the amount).
The Hiroshima Peace Museum costs ¥200. A snack at a small Soba restaurant wouldn’t cost much, either. Do the math. You may have neglected to get your change, or just overpaid for something. You may be surprised at how honest people can be. If either place had the equivalent of $100+ *over* in their register that day, they would remember it.
Not saying that pickpocketing doesn’t exist, because it *does* but someone would have had to have been right next to you for more than a few seconds in order to pull this off. Yanking the entire wallet, yes. Grabbing the wallet, extracting funds, and nonchalantly replacing it without you knowing it translates into a master criminal. If they are *that* good, they should be robbing banks, not individuals.
I found $175 neatly folded in a parking lot one day. No one else around. I’m sure the person was as vexed as you are now. I genuinely hope that it comes back to you!
You sure you didn’t make a visit to a soapland and you’re posting this here to give an alibi to your wife?
Sorry but hard to belive what OP states. Probably, there is another reason behind, which we dont know or told.
Once, we dropped accidenly our freebag in Sapporo restorant, in which all our passports, credit cards and nearly 200K yen cash and restaurant staff run behind us and handed over it.
Japan is the most safest place and their culture is totaly against such pick pocketing or stealing.