TOKYO (TR) – A 12-year-old British girl who vanished from a vacation rental in Tokyo earlier this week has been found safe after turning up at a police box in Yokohama City, reports Fuji News Network (Aug. 16).
The girl disappeared from a minpaku (private lodging) in the Kamata area of Ota Ward. Her family—consisting of her parents and older brother—woke up at around 8:30 a.m. on August 13 to find her gone. Her mother placed an emergency call to police at 9:25 a.m.
With her passport left behind at the facility, concerns for her safety quickly escalated. The Kamata Police Station released her photograph and physical description to the public, launching a frantic search for the missing tourist.
The ordeal ended on the night of August 15 when the girl walked into a Yokohama koban (police box) and was taken into protective custody unharmed. She told officers that she had been spending her time hiding out in an internet cafe.
The girl’s sudden disappearance appears to have been motivated by her love for Japanese pop culture. She had reportedly expressed a strong desire to visit Yokohama, known as a “holy site” for anime and the real-world setting of her favorite series, “Bungo Stray Dogs.”
The family of four had been vacationing in Japan since July 21.
