Japan has a repute for being one of many cleanest nations on the planet. Trains sparkle, sidewalks are pristine, and even in Tokyo’s busiest neighborhoods you’d be hard-pressed to seek out litter. However there’s one element that rejected me utterly after I visited town for the primary time as a vacationer: There are nearly no public trash cans. It is a huge deal for People used to strolling round snacking and consuming out of disposable cups. The place do you place your trash?
A current survey from the Japan Nationwide Tourism Group cited by CNN discovered that the highest logistical criticism from vacationers wasn’t language limitations or crowds — it was the dearth of bins. Greater than 20 p.c of holiday makers stated discovering a spot to throw away wrappers or bottles was probably the most irritating a part of their journey. So what provides?
Etiquette over comfort
Cultural norms are an enormous a part of the reply. Consuming whereas strolling is taken into account dangerous manners, and in some cities it’s outright banned. Locals usually carry their meals again residence or to the workplace earlier than consuming, then eliminate trash there. Even after they do snack on the go, many Japanese individuals carry a small bag to stash waste till they’ll toss it correctly. It is one thing I shortly realized to do as a vacationer, too.
Tourism provides strain
That system works for locals, however mass tourism has strained the fragile stability. 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 Eighties to maintain animals secure, has now put in solar-powered trash cans close to fashionable sights 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 cause for the absence of trash cans: safety. After the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gasoline assault, wherein 14 individuals had been killed, many receptacles had been faraway from stations to scale back the danger 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 resolution is to plan forward. Comfort shops like 7-Eleven or Lawson generally supply bins, and merchandising machines typically have small ones beside them. Vacationers can even decide up a standard furoshiki fabric to stash trash through the day — and later repurpose it as a souvenir from their journey.
Japan’s system would possibly check guests’ persistence, however it’s additionally a reminder of how social etiquette and shared duty hold the nation remarkably clear — even with out the trash cans everybody expects.
