Shocking Safety: Why Japanese People Leave Their iPhones on Cafe Tables!

If you walk into a Starbucks in Tokyo, you might witness a scene that would give a New Yorker a heart attack. A customer gets up to go to the bathroom or order a drink, and they leave their brand new MacBook or iPhone sitting on the table to “save their seat.”

Of course, crime is not zero, and police advise against this. However, the fact that millions of people do it daily without consequence is mind-blowing for tourists. Japan consistently ranks as one of the safest countries in the world. Lost wallets are often turned into police stations (koban) with the cash still inside. So, while you should still be careful, you can relax a little more than usual. The biggest danger in a Japanese cafe isn’t theft—it’s struggling to decide which limited-time Frappuccino to order.

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