TTokyo

Searching for an Old Connection

  • March 27, 2026

Hi!

I got approval by the mods to post here.

I am hoping someone can help me find someone. Her name is Eiko, She was an exchange student through ISA homestay in 1989/1990. She stayed with my parents in Sydney, Australia.

Myself and my mum are coming to visit Japan in October this year and I was really hoping to be able to reconnect my mum and Eiko as the last time they saw each other was in the early 90s once Eiko returned back home.

Since then we know that she's gotten married, and we have her married name and an address from around that time, but I haven't had any luck finding her through some regular searches online (English sites/resources)

Both addresses that I have for her before getting married and after getting married are in Chiba.

She would be 56 years old today.

Thanks in advance if you can help in any way!

by morna-leigh

6 comments

  1. Do you know the exact kanji spelling of her name? Without that, you probably won’t find anything even if you search for it online in Japanese.

  2. Is the organization she studied abroad with still active? They might have some information that could help you find her

  3. Just a friendly reminder, it has been like almost 30 years, a lot has changed, she may not want to meet up.
    I have encountered similar situation with Japanese, it feels like they have closed that chapter of life and do not particularly wish to revisit.
    If you send letters to her addresses and no response, then I would just let it be. Sometimes memories is the most beautiful in the past.

  4. Have you tried sending letters to the addresses you have? Use ChatGPT to make a Japanese copy of the letter to include along with the English version (which would be more personal and appealing if hand written). Also, do you know the kanji for her name with either maiden and/or married surname?

    If you’ve tried writing letters and got no response, and you’ve scoured social media using both the romanized and kanji versions of her name(s) to no avail, then your only other real option is to hire a PI. Local government offices maintaining resident records absolutely will not release any information about a person to a random stranger, no matter how nice the intention may be. And there’s unfortunately no equivalent of the publicly searchable “Births, Deaths and Marriages” registry here like there is in Oz.

  5. Have you tried looking for her through social media? I’ve reconnected to a lot of my Japanese friends this way.

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