Japan has a repute for being one of many cleanest international locations on this planet. Trains sparkle, sidewalks are pristine, and even in Tokyo’s busiest neighborhoods you’d be hard-pressed to search out litter. However there’s one element that defied me utterly after I visited the town for the primary time as a vacationer: There are virtually no public trash cans. This can be a large deal for Individuals used to strolling round snacking and consuming out of disposable cups. The place do you place your trash?
A latest survey from the Japan Nationwide Tourism Group cited by CNN discovered that the highest logistical criticism from vacationers wasn’t language obstacles or crowds — it was the dearth of bins. Greater than 20 % of tourists mentioned discovering a spot to throw away wrappers or bottles was essentially the most irritating a part of their journey. So what provides?
Etiquette over comfort
Cultural norms are a giant a part of the reply. Consuming whereas strolling is taken into account dangerous manners, and in some cities it’s outright banned. Locals sometimes carry their meals again residence or to the workplace earlier than consuming, then eliminate trash there. Even once they do snack on the go, many Japanese individuals carry a small bag to stash waste till they will toss it correctly. It is one thing I rapidly realized to do as a vacationer, too.
Tourism provides strain
That system works for locals, however mass tourism has strained the fragile steadiness. In Nara, residence to 1000’s of free-roaming deer, trash left behind by guests has proved lethal — 9 deer died in 2019 after ingesting plastic. The town, which had eliminated bins within the Nineteen Eighties to maintain animals protected, has now put in solar-powered trash cans close to fashionable points of interest with “Save the Deer” printed in English.
In Tokyo’s Shibuya district, officers have linked litter to rowdy Halloween events and even banned public consuming to chop down on rubbish.
A darker historical past
There’s additionally a sobering purpose for the absence of trash cans: safety. After the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin fuel assault, by which 14 individuals have been killed, many receptacles have been faraway from stations to scale back the chance of hiding explosives or different harmful supplies. The few that stay typically use clear plastic liners so police can see inside.
Carry it with you
For pissed off vacationers, the very best answer is to plan forward. Comfort shops like 7-Eleven or Lawson typically supply bins, and merchandising machines typically have small ones beside them. Vacationers also can choose up a conventional furoshiki fabric to stash trash in the course of the day — and later repurpose it as a memento from their journey.
Japan’s system may check guests’ endurance, however it’s additionally a reminder of how social etiquette and shared accountability maintain the nation remarkably clear — even with out the trash cans everybody expects.
