Another New Member

TSURIKICHI

New Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2020
Messages
8
Hello

Nice forum. Going to help a lot.

Loved my original programable White's Eagle waaaaay back in the 80's. Lived in Japan for 30 years. Metal detected throughout Japan and Asia (outside of Mainland China) ..... with various adventures trying and succeeded in getting my machine thru customs and persuading the local authorities I wasn't a spy or whatever else !! ha ha ha Remember .... this was the first half of the 80's.

At 71 I've started a new, long needed health program and am returning to metal detecting... actually coin shooting. Just bought a Garrett Ace 300 and like it for what I'm doing and it will go with me to Japan on my next trip. I also just bought a Garrett Pro-Pointer II. A buddy loaned me his original pro-pointer and I did something to it to cause the new battery to zap it. I'll post my first yelp for help upon posting this.

Oldest coin so far is an 785-800 year old coin Japanese coin.

Vietnam Combat Vet 0311/Combat Interpreter
USMC 1/9 3MARDIV 68-69

Thanks in advance and Semper Fi
 
Welcome. And thank you for your service to our country.

Metal detecting in Japan is a rare sight, from what I've heard. It's simply not in their culture to engage in such a thing. So I've always wondered how un-tapped the beaches would be :)
 
Hi TOM in CA,

Hunting in Japan is unrestricted other than private property, and common sense locations like historic sites, temples, shrines, graveyards. What's found, get's turned in to the local police and with no claimants is yours. What's fun is the fairly easy finding of coins 400 or 500 years old. For modern coins, shooters hitting a 500 yen ($5) coin is a pretty good find !! Lived in Japan 30 years 20+ of then metal detecting.

Key to a fun time there is to answer all inquires from folks in a polite and friendly way and understanding that what we're doing is not the cultural norm there so suspicions are high. ha ha ha I often asked an inquiring person if they lost something I might be able to hunt for them.

Thanks and Semper Fi
 
... What's found, get's turned in to the local police and with no claimants is yours. ....

Well, let's unpack this : What you are referring to, if I'm not mistaken, is the Japanese lost & found system. Such that, in Japan, their culture is such that if you were to forget something valuable at a park bench, or on the subway seat, etc...... It would NEVER disappear. (Unlike in the USA, if you accidentally leave your Iphone or a wad of $100 bills on a park bench, you can probably kiss it goodbye.). The Japanese people would never DREAM of having a "finders keepers" attitude.

HOWEVER, if you study it further, I believe that will only apply to items on the surface of the ground. Like to find a ring on the sidewalk, or a wad of $100 bills on the park bench, or an Iphone, etc..... I do not think it legally applies to items that are buried and invisible to the naked eye (ie.: stuff that's *obviously* not a currently lost item).

The md'rs I've talked to from Japan say they are not required to go trotting down to the police station with their clad, or jewelry from the beach, for example. Can you shed more light on this ? Because, for example, on the beach it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE to determine "just lost yesterday" versus "been there for 30 yrs.". Since, as you know, sand can swallow things such that a ring lost just yesterday might already be 6" deep.

But this friend of mine had studied the law you allude to, and said it had nothing to do with old coins. And also , for some reason, said it applied to beach finds too. For some reason he said it applied to visible things, that you see on top of the ground, but not fumble fingers buried md'r stuff.

Care to shed light ? Got links ?
 
Welcome. And thank you for your service to our country.

Metal detecting in Japan is a rare sight, from what I've heard. It's simply not in their culture to engage in such a thing. So I've always wondered how un-tapped the beaches would be :)

Would like to hear more on that as well.
 
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