Strange Coincidence: Lost and Found in Gifu

Today, something unexpected happened during my drone practice session at Obusa River Park in Gifu. Right in the middle of the grassy field where I usually fly my drones, I spotted a car key lying on the ground.

At first, I thought it was my own car key that must’ve fallen out of my pocket. But after picking it up and taking a closer look, I realized it wasn’t mine at all—it belonged to someone else. It was a Toyota key.

What makes this moment feel like more than just coincidence is that not long ago, I lost my mother-in-law’s car key during a visit to Gifu-Jo Rakuichi—not too far from where I found this one. That day, we searched everywhere: around the parking area, the park, and the shops, but with no luck.

Adding to the string of strange events, only a few days ago, our own car had to be repaired after a minor incident during a river fishing trip to Shirotori-cho. We ended up taking a taxi to a Toyota rental office in Seki. Thankfully, the car has now been returned, and we’re back to our usual rhythm.

And then today, out of nowhere, I find a Toyota car key in the middle of a quiet field.

Curious about what to do, I looked up the procedure for handling lost and found items in Japan. It turns out each area has its own local police station where found items are recorded and kept, and only those who lost something nearby can claim it. It’s a highly localized and organized system.

This incident has inspired me to take a trip to the police station near Gifu Castle—both to hand in the car key I found and to check if my mother-in-law’s lost car key might have been turned in there after all this time. We’ll go together and see if this string of coincidences might lead to something good.

Fingers crossed that everything finds its way back to the rightful owners!