1.
lost-and-found office; lost property office
An office or counter at a station, airport, public facility, or police jurisdiction where items lost by the public are received, held, and returned to their owners. The formal term seen on signs at train stations and on railway websites.
遺失物取扱所はどこですか。
Where is the lost-and-found office?
駅の遺失物取扱所に問い合わせてみてください。
Please try contacting the station's lost-and-found office.
電車に傘を忘れてしまったので、遺失物取扱所に電話した。
I left my umbrella on the train, so I called the lost-and-found office.
空港の遺失物取扱所で、なくした財布が見つかったという連絡があった。
The airport lost-and-found office contacted me to say that the wallet I had lost had been found.
Composed of 遺失物 (lost article) and 取扱所 (handling office, counter). The formal, signage-style term for what is commonly called a 'lost and found' in English.
USAGE:
Seen on signage and on official websites of railway companies (JR}、{東京メトロ、etc.), airports, and police stations. In spoken Japanese, speakers often use shorter variants like 遺失物センター or 忘れ物センター.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 駅の遺失物取扱所: the station lost-and-found
- 遺失物取扱所に問い合わせる: to inquire at the lost-and-found office
- 遺失物取扱所に届ける: to hand in / turn in (a found item) at the lost-and-found
- 遺失物取扱所に保管される: to be kept at the lost-and-found
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 忘れ物センター: lost-and-found center — the more everyday term, common at railway companies' consumer-facing websites
- 遺失物センター: lost-property center — near-synonym; same scope, slightly more formal register
- 落とし物保管所: found-items storage — emphasizes holding items until claimed
- 拾得物: found article — the legal counterpart of 遺失物, referring to the item from the finder's perspective