‘Only possible in Japan’: Indian woman loses her iPhone 16 Pro for the 5th time; finds it untouched hours later

She explained that she frequently forgets her phone in public places because she does not constantly check or use it.

Losing an Apple iPhone typically triggers immediate panic, but for one Indian expat living in Japan, misplacing her iPhone 16 Pro was simply a familiar late-night adventure.

Content creator Pragati recently shared an Instagram video documenting her midnight quest to recover her lost Apple device in Japan—a feat she successfully accomplished for the fifth time.

Midnight digital trail

Pragati shared that she realised her phone was missing several hours after accidentally leaving it behind. She explained that she frequently forgets her phone in public places because she does not constantly check or use it.

Quick answers to key questions

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QUESTIONS

The Indian woman repeatedly lost her iPhone 16 Pro in Japan.

Pragati used Apple's 'Find My' feature on a secondary device to locate her lost iPhone.

Pragati attributes the safe recovery of her phone to Japan's renowned civic safety and low crime rate.

Pragati has misplaced her iPhone 16 Pro five times in Japan and has successfully retrieved it each time.

Pragati has recovered her phone from a police station, a vegetable market, and trial rooms in stores.

Turning to Apple's 'Find My' feature on a secondary device, she discovered that her iPhone was approximately 600 metres away. Around midnight, she set out to track it down, hoping the phone was exactly where it was dropped.

Track record of recoveries

This late-night search was part of a recurring routine for Pragati. She shared that the ‘Find My’ app has helped her recover her phone on several occasions, while her connected Apple Watch has also served as a reliable locating tool in the past.

Her history of misplacing the device includes successfully retrieving it from a police station, a vegetable market, and twice from inside store trial rooms.

‘Only possible in Japan’

As she approached the location, the app's tracking distance dropped to 100 metres.

Relying on her past positive experiences, she remained optimistic—and her luck held out. When she finally reached the exact spot indicated by the tracking app, her iPhone 16 Pro was still sitting there, completely undisturbed despite being left unattended in public for hours.

"I lost my iPhone 16 Pro in Japan AGAIN. And yes… this was the 5th time But somehow, I found it AGAIN! Honestly, I feel like this kind of thing is only possible in Japan," she wrote in the caption of her video, attributing the safe recovery to the country's renowned civic safety.

Netizens react

The video resonated with viewers, sparking a larger conversation about public safety and cultural norms. Many praised the country's famously low crime rate, with one user noting, “It is normal in Japan. Stealing is the biggest crime in Japan due to social boycott.”

Another viewer expressed admiration for such a secure environment, writing, “This feels so good...when u live in such society where you do not have any concerns like safety and theft.”

Others in the comments drew comparisons to different parts of the world. One user pointed out, "Even in Dubai it is very safe," while another humorously contrasted the situation with India, commenting, "Bade imandar log h wha ..apne yha to phone k sath chor bhi gayab ho jata" (People are very honest there... here, the thief would disappear along with the phone).

Meanwhile, some netizens simply found humour in the late-night escapade itself. Joking about the midnight trek to retrieve the device, one user quipped, "It's your trick to make your husband walk after food."

About the Author

Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture‑adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast‑moving news cycles and longer, context‑rich explainers. <br><br> Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub‑Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub‑Editor at Asian News International (ANI). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi‑platform packaging. <br><br> At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals‑led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication’s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high‑impact journalism. <br><br> Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer‑internet zeitgeist. <br><br> Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer‑horizon storylines that shape public discourse.

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