I am trying to find an old friend

I am trying to find an old friend in Japan. Can someone please guide me to a website where I can look for them? I only have their LINE, postal address and phone number and some information.

The details you have might not have changed, reach out to your friend with the contact details that you have.

I already have - all messages undelivered. Hence why I am asking for help please?

Have you tried sending a letter assuming the line and mobile number do not work? Otherwise you can go to the ward office of his old address and ask where they moved to.

I don't think the above method will work. Most people just informs the old ward they are moving out, but they don't need to tell them where they are moving. I will be moving next week, but I don't know what my future address will be since I don't have an apartment lined up. I also believe there are privacy laws, so you can't just ask the ward office personal information of other people unless you are related to them with proof of your relationship.

I can't go to the old address....I live in the United Kingdom. I wondered if there was a way online I can find him?

It's going to sound slow but sending them a letter through the post. It's very likely to find it's way to wherever they have moved.
I don't know of a way online to find them.

You obviously tried Facebook search?
His name both in English and Japanese?

I would try writing a postcard/letter to the address you have, with a return address to you so that in case it is undeliverable you will get it back. Post office will forward it as long as he/she left instructions to do so, and the forwarding request is valid for one year unless he/she renewed it.

And yes Facebook too... in the past I have been contacted by someone who was looking for someone, happened to have the same name, wrote me a message, but unfortunately I was not the one she was looking for.

Otherwise you can go to the ward office of his old address and ask where they moved to.

Really? are they going to tell such private infomation for personal reason ??

I wrote to him via mail but heard nothing back :(. I searched on Facebook (when we started talking he said he didn't have a profile on there). He doesn't have Facebook :(. I don't know how else to search for him really.

You will not be able to get any personal information about a person from the ward office either current or old address because there are privacy laws.

There is no online directory for people - so if you didn't hear from him (or post office did not return the letter to you saying the addressee no longer at that address), there is no way to really locate him. And no, ward office would not tell you that.

If you and he belonged to a school/association of some sort, and if you could correctly locate that group/organization on Facebook, for example, you "could" post an inquiry there asking members of that group if anyone knows him, but that comes with the risk of you inadvertently disclosing his name to possibly people who simply don't know him at all, and the fact that you are looking for him all over the place...

What happened when you tried to call his number?
Is it possible that he's trying to avoid you? Maybe he has a girlfriend now.

Well the ward office won't tell you if his information isn't public, but it's the same information the post office uses. I've done that before asked for a forwarding address, and gotten it. People use it to forward invoices all the time. You could go to the Post Office and ask. Do you know where he worked? Ever meet any of his family? All the other options either involve legal process or getting a friend who has access to the data such as his mobile provider. You could go to Tokyo summary court and file a civil claim and get the address that way, but then he'd likely never talk to you again.

I don't know any groups he was with, I won't take the legal route as that's more stalker behaviour and I am not that kind of person. Also never met his family. The last thing he said to me was mid December (we were chatting as normal everyday) and he asked me via iMessage to send him a message on LINE as he said his phone was broken and wanted to check it was working. I did both the same day and he never ever replied again. I have tried many times afterwards on LINE and no messages get read/delivered. iMessage it says delivered but I never get a reply. There was no argument leading to it - it was out of the blue and we always had nice conversation. 2 weeks prior to it happening we posted each other gifts and he said he loved his gift and he sent me mine which I also told him I really liked.

Is it normal in Japan for guys to suddenly block/ignore friends that are girls if they get girlfriends? Maybe this is a behaviour I am not used to as I am from the United Kingdom and we don't do that here?

I don't know any groups he was with, I won't take the legal route as that's more stalker behaviour and I am not that kind of person. Also never met his family. The last thing he said to me was mid December (we were chatting as normal everyday) and he asked me via iMessage to send him a message on LINE as he said his phone was broken and wanted to check it was working. I did both the same day and he never ever replied again. I have tried many times afterwards on LINE and no messages get read/delivered. iMessage it says delivered but I never get a reply. There was no argument leading to it - it was out of the blue and we always had nice conversation. 2 weeks prior to it happening we posted each other gifts and he said he loved his gift and he sent me mine which I also told him I really liked.

Is it normal in Japan for guys to suddenly block/ignore friends that are girls if they get girlfriends? Maybe this is a behaviour I am not used to as I am from the United Kingdom and we don't do that here?

samanthaanne,

Are you saying that you did send a postal mail, with your address written on the envelope, and you haven't heard back?

Then it most likely means that the envelope arrived safely to the address. Otherwise, it will be sent back to you.

And no, I don't think it's a Japanese thing to stop communicating all of the sudden, but I've had it done to me several times both by Japanese and non-Japanese people.

It's not normal really, but it really just sounds like he doesn't want to talk to you anymore.

I think the letter 100% arrived as I did put my address on the back.

I know he was depressed (his mum died recently and we chatted the whole time before, during and for a couple of months after it ) and he was on medication for depression during his mums illness. I supported him the entire time - and I had medical problems which he supported me through.

We didn't have a misunderstanding or any bad words - it was always nice conversation.

I respect if he doesn't want to speak to me anymore (it's sad but I respect it). But I just want to know he's alive and okay.