Given that the standard plastic issue umbrella is sold in any konbini [7/11 et al]) for 500yen combined with Japanese honesty that always surprised me.
Can anybody knowledgeable comment on this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjTwPII-mxk
With many people using the same cheap plastic umbrella it is very difficult to tell which one is yours. I have had quite a few umbrellas "taken by mistake".
How much "taking by mistake" is a euphemism for "stealing", well, I'll let you be the judge.
My hack: attach a small key to your umbrella handle. Many people will think twice about taking a key.
An umbrella may be 500 yen, but not getting wet when it's raining is priceless :) So, getting an umbrella stolen while you are in a store has a much higher cost than 500 yen.
Edit: Funny story. When I first moved to Japan, I lost 33 umbrellas in 3 years. I couldn't figure out where they were going. Then at the morning meeting at work they said, "We have this huge pile of umbrellas in the back room. Can people please claim them?" They were all mine... Apparently in the morning after the staff arrive, they would put them in the back room so that it wasn't a nuisance to visitors. Since I live in Shizuoka where it barely rains, by the time I was ready to go home it was usually sunny and forgot about my umbrella. I never ever realised that it was just getting moved. Of course, by then I was indoctrinated enough in Japanese society that I was way too embarrassed to claim my umbrellas!
Of course, and if it's only a standard bucket, there's a very good chance that you walk away with the wrong umbrella. But are people really that attached to their specific personal umbrella, which is exactly the same as yours, that this matters?
To the other replier: They're very common in museums and comparable venues. Department stores usually have that appliance thing were your umbrella gets wrapped in a plastic baggie to avoid dripping. One wonders, alas, how sustainable that is.
It's so you don't have to carry around a wet umbrella in the store.
And if you happen to get a different cheap umbrella when you leave than when you entered, it's not a big deal.
The lockers prevent the "Oh I thought it was mine", excuse, and also places popular with foreigners, who more commonly have actual umbrellas instead of the cheap plastic ones, are more likely to have the lockers I've found.
I'd watch that anime.