Edit: He has been found by the police in Kabukicho. Thank you to all the people that provided helpful comments.
My friends little brother is lost in Tokyo. I have contacted the police but i thought it would be worth trying here too.
His name is John, he has cerebral palsy long black hair, he is 170cm, average build and walks with his head down. He is wearing a bright blue tshirt, black trousers, black trainers and a small black puma bag.
we lost him around Harajuku. if anyone has seen a young guy fitting his description please share info here. if you get close to him please ask him to go back to Harajuku where we lost him.
14 comments
You should also post in r/Tokyo
Hope you find him soon.
How old is young? Around what age is he? Race?
Have you contacted the police?
How old is he? Do you have a photo? Your description would apply to dozens of people in such a heavily populated area.
(Not in Tokyo)
Could you please post a picture and more detail : exact place you lost him ; which interest does is have (which could help taret where he could have headed) ; I guess he does not have a phone ; what is his name – high – … ; you said he have cerebral palsy but could you be more explicit : which kind + will it affect the ability to interact efficiently with him, …
Also which Koban did you contact ? Were are you ? Which area is th hotel (or so) ? Telling him to go back were he can from is the best way to get the situation worst, so bringing him to a koban, the actual place you can find him will be th best guess or not move until you/your friend is the best move.
I think as today is Friday, there can be a signifiant amount of people in Tokyo which plan to go out, so getting help will not be so hard bt yo have ti get people every possible way to help you.
If you recall the location you lost him there
may be stores around who saw him
enter, cctv footage of the direction he’s headed, and so on. Did he have any identification or perhaps a phone/device with him ?
I think you should include his age, height, and build, to help identify him. Like others have mentioned, “boy” sounds like he is a child, not a 20+ year old adult.
It might be better if you had an actual picture to work with. Cerebral palsy takes many forms and unless severely disabled by it, in which case I’m not quite sure how he could’ve left your friend’s side, most people wouldn’t know what to look for. People are constantly looking down at their phones, so unless it is VERY obvious that there’s something physically wrong with him, “walking with his head down” doesn’t help much as a description. The long black hair, height, and clothing descriptions help, but what would help the most is an actual picture.
This is true of all missing/lost people, but the first 24 hours are crucial to finding them. Not showing a picture to protect their privacy or feelings will only impede the search process. This is even worse for someone with physical and mental impairments, and I urge you not to wait. I say this as someone who regularly takes care of a close relative with severe cerebral palsy and mental disability, and has had two close older relatives with dementia (Alzheimer’s). Especially in this type of weather and in a big city like Tokyo, you want to do everything you can to find them ASAP.
I also think rather than asking him to go back to Harajuku, which is a rather big place and if he has a mental impairment as well he might not remember or have difficulty heading back, it’d be better to ask whoever finds him to take him to the nearest police box/station where they can search for your friend instead and keep him safe in the meantime.
Also share the info on Japan (or Tokyo specific) Facebook groups and such. Even better if you can get a Japanese translation (DeepL and maybe someone to quickly check it for free) to go with it so that Japanese locals can spread the word. And letting the police know so that they can look out for him.
I was around that area two hours ago and unfortunately not heading back there.
An idea for the future if he is unable to take care of himself if separated from you is to put an AirTag on him. My two kids always have one on them when we’re out in busy areas or in public away from regular places.
Dude I saw maybe half a million people today in Tokyo and at least 10% had their head down. Be more accurate. On top of that please clarify what do you mean with “if you see him tell him to go back to Harajuku” if I see him I’ll stay there and call the police
Not familiar with cerebral palsy. Is the impairment severe enough for him to not think for his own as a young adult?
Finding a station, a staff, a store, a koban, these are things a lost 20 year old might think on their own with little difficulty.
Can he communicate fluently in at least one language?
He has been found by the police in Kabukicho. Thank you to all the people that provided helpful comments.
Good to have a story with a happy ending.
Hope he had a blast in Kabukicho.
+1 agree that AirTag is the way to go in the future.