I remember in Nakano, they removed trash bins from a park. People were upset and still trashing out in the place of the old trash bin.
Was clearly part of it. It's always easy to buy drinks and stuff, but always so difficult to get rid of it after that
That means you would need to consume it on the spot. This is usually not true for bottled drinks, and not intended to. And it is a waste of time for a tourist.
I’ve asked many Japanese friends about this very fact and not a single Japanese person has ever said it’s rude to eat while walking. Of course it’s rude if you’re making a mess and bothering other people with your mess, but that’s true for many things outside of eating while walking.
As a regular visitor to Japan with Japanese family: it is extremely rare to see anyone eating and drinking on the go. Your friends have their opinions, but they aren't in line with what I've seen across multiple years and cities.
I didn't get it from the internet. I got it from observing people around me and from seeing signs in tourist areas saying something to the effect of "don't walk and eat".
Sorry but above commenter is correct, it is considered impolite to eat and drink while walking around at least amongst most Japanese - younger ones may not care as much.
I can confirm that in Japan it is indeed considered very rude to walk and eat at the same time and you’ll often see signs telling people to not do that. I’m half Japanese and I lived there for a bit. What you’re thinking of are standing diners and izakayas.
Yeah that's true only if you are a customer and it's their trash they made. They actually expect you to sometimes if it's messy like a stick of something.
As someone living here. They also think it's odd we own and buy something then seconds later suddenly it becomes this dirty horrible thing that needs disposing of instantly or your day is ruined.
Often the shop has small plastic bags you can keep your trash in for the rest of your day inside your bag or until you eventually find one that's acceptable to use.
Agreed. But it’s because it is culturally rude to eat/drink while you walk. They should have more trash cans in restaurants and near vending machines and benches though!
Oh that’s nonsense - I saw plenty of asian-looking folks (can’t say locals bc I can’t be certain) noshing & drinking on the run. I think the more important rule is to not talk loud in public.
One could also just carry the empty bottle home. I did that today and thought nothing of it. It's normal and natural for me. I also wouldn't throw the bottle in a bin, because you get 25 cents for one in my home country.
I am not littering. I was carrying them with me. It wasn’t very hard for me to carry it with me. But it was an inconvenience that is unique to Japan and feels like it doesn’t have to be. Every morning in Shinjuku I watched people pick up the trash from the previous night and wondered how much less trash might be on the sidewalk if they just had a trash can there.
I’m far from an expert on Japanese waste management but it feels like a solution without meaningful drawbacks?
Just like with the U.K. this was done because of a terrorist attack.There was a Sarin Gas (a nerve agent) attack in the subway in March of 1995 using the trash cans. It affected 640 people.
That's the excuse but not the reason. Trash cans in parks and the like we're common until the early 2010s. They got removed because too many locals were using them for household waste disposal after trash collection fees went up.
Inb4 the netouyos on 5ch says those "Japanese who littered" are akshully Zainichi Korean and not exactly pure-blood Japanese who have been here since the islands emerged out of Izanami's womb.
And Japan has all of these make-work jobs. They could just remove 10% of those old dudes with the stubby lightsaber flashlights from "construction sites" and they'd have a huge team to collect litter from rubbish bins.
We went to a festival in kyoto last year. Lots of food stalls on either side of the road. We bought a few things then put our litter in the bin provided.
The bin provided was a cube about 1.5m each side. Yet the rubbish towered over the top. It was up to my shoulders, about 1.7m. We put our rubbish on the pile assuming it was the only bin and moved on. Then there was another 1.5m bin about 10m away. It was almost empty. Then there was another, also almost empty. And another. This was all in the market area where food was being sold.
Not sure why I thought of that. Maybe japanese people just don't want to use bins?
It's because the gaijins don't know Japanese culture - in that you take your trash home. That's why Japanese carry bags, even men with man-purse. Bring your trash home and dispose of it properly. That's how it works. Don't litter! It's your trash, hence it's your responsibility. That's our culture, if you don't like it then don't come to Japan.
We don't! It's you guys coming because the yen is cheap and Japan gov't doesn't charge ridiculously high travel fees and taxes, unlike in the UK or Australia. That's the reason. Bunch of cheap and greedy people.
Just like docudrama movies, Soranews is "based on a true story," but heavily dramatized to the point where you're not really sure where accuracy ends and fiction begins.
One of my strongest memories from my last trip was stumbling across the Kabuchiko Benzaiten shrine. It had two little wire trash can which were both buried under a mountain of trash.
I didn’t find it difficult to hold onto a bottle for an hour or two but the problem is pretty evident.
Sometimes people want to try a few drinks and they spend their entire days out. If I wasn’t able to throw stuff out I’d be carrying 4 drink containers and snack wraps for 8 hours
What people "should" do doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is what is actually happening. And people are littering because there's no trash cans. So put up more trash cans.
And plenty of konbinis have signs saying that the trash cans are only for stuff bought from the konbini. Will the staff say something? Probably not. But will they judge foreigners for disregarding the rules? Very likely.
This is a fair position, and true. America is built on having a trash can within arms reach half the time and making a conscious decision to litter anyway. Japan probably let the sarin gas attacks have too much of an effect on the availability of conveniently located refuse bins.
I don't know maybe it's the case in the very rural areas because in semi rural areas (rural areas modernised) and cities I visited in China, they were very clean.
In my city by a bus stop I took daily there was always trash blowing around in the wind so I wrote to the local alderman and asked if it’s possible to put a can in on this corner to try and keep this intersection clean. To my surprise, a week later, they actually installed one.
Few weeks later the can was still mostly empty and all the trash was still blowing around the curb. One time waiting for a bus I even saw a guy eating McDonald’s while walking down the street, he finished his sandwich and threw the bag and wrapper into the bin. Maybe 10 steps later he finished his drink and threw it to the curb.
They need to do the trash bins like in Sweden (I think its sweden. I saw it on a reel/toktok) where its a bin on the surface, but under the pavement its basically a massive dumpster. There's no way an ordinary bin will be enough for their foot traffic.
They need to reinvent public trash bins. Probably do some type of underground infrastructure that somehow sends trash directly to a facility for disposal. Idk how its going to work, but that's for someone much smarter than myself to figure out.
that would require Japan to completely overhaul the way the government deals with trash currently.
The country has so many rules about trash, that individuals have to separate food waste, plastic waste, and further separate plastics between plastic bottles and the thinner plastic films or whatever it is.
imo it'd be easier if we as tourists just brought or bought our own disposable containers and put their goods into our containers and gave them back the packaging right after we buy it.
In my hotel room, I just had trash cans with no separation. How is that handled? I just dumped all my trash into the cans... snack wrappers, receipts, empty drink bottles, etc. Does housekeeping rummage thru all the guests hotel room trash and sort it?
They do have some recycle bins at the train station where all the slots for the recyclables go to the same bag. Lol it never made sense to me why they have those sorting slots.
They won't because it doesn't make them money. If they cared about public safety because of some sarin attack a couple decades ago, they'd get rid of the coin lockers... but they don't. Because it makes them money.
If I run an industrial company that produces pollution and I just dump it into the local river instead of deal with it, we all agree I'm the bad guy. I'm a selfish, irresponsible jerk who is polluting our world just to save myself some money. But let's suppose I don't run an industrial company, but I run a crepe stand. And instead of dumping my pollution directly into the local river, I hand it off to the customer in the form of disposable trash that comes with the product. Now, I'm not telling my customers to dump their trash and pollute the environment, but I'm still doing nothing to deal with the pollution my business creates. And if my customers have no where to put the trash, is anyone surprised that it is going to end up in the local street?
People love to blame the foreign tourists because the foreign tourists are highly visible and (*gasp*) different, but they're just continuing the proud Japanese tradition of Shibuya being full of businesses that don't take responsibility for their trash and the slobs who frequent them. I'm glad the city is finally asking the people who make a quick buck there to take some responsibility for their business. I hope the measure passes.
Here’s the thing, say you buy a drink like a coffee or matcha? Do you chug it standing right next to the store? Because everywhere else people will drink it casually.
Can someone remember me what's happened? 20 years ago there was lines of trash cans in front of every combini, then they disappeared. Parc had few trash cans (but not a lot to be honest). Today, the only place I know with a trash can is a fishing spot, I shit you not.
There was terror attack, which used a trash can.
So they began to get rid of them, which was a big plus because they didn't need maintain and pay workers etc.
My theory is that, once the trash cans were removed, pressure was placed on other locations that still had them, forcing those places to limit or eliminate their trash cans. That probably created negative loop that eventually turned into a major problem, especially with a lot of visitors.
Hope they work on having a soap and drying mechanism in every restroom next! I love Japan so much and this is the only thing that screams developing country to me.
Putting trash cans is gonna make it easier for people to generate more trash. More people eating and drinking on the streets. Just like when you fund the homeless you get more homeless. Thats how the world actually works. If you got a child that cant clean his room, you dont keep cleaning it for him.
Wild how people think paying taxes out of their paycheck to subsidize other’ poor habits is a good thing
You think more trash cans will mean more trash? That is some poor logic right there lol. All it would mean is less trash where it shouldn’t be (like on the ground).
Bullshit, there's trash bins in train stations. If still related to assaults 20 years ago, it's old stories. They are still removing trash bins and that's because Cities don't want to spend money on trash bins anymore. Way easier for them to give this issue to shops. And they also remove trash bins for the same reason
If Japan was also worried about terrorism, they'd remove the coin lockers. Placing a bomb in a large coin locker is easier than trying to shove something in a small half-filled trash can with a opening that can barely fit a bag.
I'll preface this by saying that I dislike lugging my trash around and looking for a trash bin, but just blatantly spewing opinions without considering why things are the way they are is not how discussions should be done. There are a couple of reasons why trash bins are few and far between:
Reason 1: Garbage collection and trash bin cleaning/maintenance are expensive. This way, municipalities save money, and they pass the cost onto the people and stores
Reason 2: A gas attack happened a while ago inside the Tokyo metro, and the government decided that trash bins are a potential hiding spot for materials that are used in such an attack
Reason 3: Public trash bins often aren't sorted well, so taking your trash home is encouraged, where people will recycle more due to the societal pressure
I still don't understand what makes Japan so special.
- Trash can cleaning and maintenance cost money in every country.
- Many other countries have much higher risk of terrorism. If terrorism was really a concern, why did they have trash cans on the platform of the busiest train station in the world, Shinjuku, yet my local suburban park doesn't have one?
- It's hard to get people to sort trash in other countries also.
But if I‘m not wrong, the gas was dispersed inside the cars, not trash cans. They removed everything because they overreacted. Sure, it works for them I guess, but it would’ve changed probably nothing if they kept the majority of trash cans
Pretty much every single country in the world has decided that there is merit in placing ample trash cans in heavily touristed areas. Why is Japan so different?
People are generally good, and almost all will use trashcans if they are available.
The area around my house never sees any tourists, but there are areas that are covered in trash.
People say that you should carry your trash around with you all day and throw it out when you get home, but try telling that to a drunk salaryman at 11pm who is not going to carry some chu-hi can around with him all night when he meets his co-workers. Instead he will just throw it in my bicycle's basket and I will have to clean it up in the morning.
(The fact that they go to the trouble to put in in my basket shows that if trash cans were available they would use them. I suggest a law that every place that sells drinks must accept bottles and cans, no questions asked.)
I didn’t mind carrying my bottles etc for a short time but let’s be honest no one wants to have to wait an extended period of time to find a bin. The stores everyone talks about having bins shouldn’t have to deal with outside rubbish.
I have no qualms with adding trash cans, but raised in Japan I never really noticed or cared that there were so few. What garbage does everyone have that they can’t throw out at a convenience store/train station or wherever they originally bought the item? Is it because foreign people don’t carry bags? Not in an accusatory way I just really don’t get what everyone is doing that I or many Japanese people are not.
If people buy like a Starbucks drink, they dont want to put an open container in their purse for starters which can splash about.
If people go shopping and stores don’t accept outside food and beverage, they’re not allowed in… but they also won’t take the drink or food away to allow the customer to shop. I literally had jt happen last week in Ometesando. I wanted to see this new collection and had a cup of matcha in my hand, not bottle. I wanted to give it to them because it was an open container and I couldnt put it in my bag but they said they had no trash can. It was empty, but there was residue.
There literally isn't, but also insert every other coffee/matcha shop from large chain to individual operators. I'm not going unhinge my jaw and shoot back a 16oz matcha in a shop.
There are 5 different Starbucks right along Omotesando you can throw Starbucks garbage away at… there’s more than literally one on every corner. You can throw away at the lawson not to mention there are public trash cans specifically on Omotesando. Did you just not know this or do you mean it’s still too inconvenient?
Ometesando is tiny, by the time I'm done with my drink I'm in Daikanyama and you want people to hunt down the chain in the new location? When you make things hard for people, people typically choose the easy way out.
Also, you still didn't answer getting beverages from small and independent shops. Like what do you personally have against more means of disposing trash. The trash has to go somewhere... the longer it doesn't have a place to go, the more likely it ends up as litter.
You're asking why, and I'm answering. Even the Japanese litter... it's not just tourists. Look at Osaka.
I am all for more trash cans being installed, as I said, I’m just curious because I don’t experience this lack of trash cans. You can throw starbucks or any coffee cup/small garbage away at a convenience store or at the station. Logistically in a place like daikanyama, where half the streets you’re walking down are small and don’t even have side walks and are shared with cars, where do people expect these garbage cans to be? I think more garbage cans is fine, I just honestly don’t understand what this supposed garbage is that everyone cannot find a place to dispose of. I get your example but surely that would be easily fixed by just eating/drinking after or before you shop in clothing store, especially somewhere cramped like omotesando or harajuku. Even with more garbage cans installed that won’t you still have to step out of the store and find one if you were in that situation again? It’s not like any country has them installed in front of every little shop.
When I went to Japan. It wasn’t too difficult to discard of trash. Just stop by a local convenience store. They usually have a trash can right near the food prep area. And the convenience stores are literally located everywhere.
Although I agree they need more garbage cans, all train stations have trash cans if you really need to find one. I found it easier to find a one the 2nd time I visited.
its fine, people will just littering since there are people thinking more trash can won’t change anything, then don’t increase it. people who littering will feel less guilty to do so. Win win
I wondered if that would start to happen. We went there as soon as it opened after the pandemic and we diligently carried our trash with us until we returned back to where we were staying. But after witnessing “the world” leaving piles of garbage on my favourite trails at home - i knew that wouldn’t last
When I visited Japan pre-Covid part of the cultural instructions were to expect to carry your trash with you, maybe bring a small plastic bag to put in your purse. Because years ago trash cans were bombed or something, so they were not prolific anymore.
It's not that it's lost to time, just that it's not relevant anymore. The sarin attacks involved plastic bags on the trains being popped with sharpened umbrella tips as the attackers left.
Keep in mind right there's like coin lockers all over the place that can hold a carry-on size luggage worth of bombs and shrapnel that never gets addressed because it drives revenue.
Tourists need to respect the place theyre visiting. Ive started bringing a ziplock for my my garbo then just dumping it back at my accommodations with the recycling on the side. Ive found it makes me more mindful of how much plastic waste I produce day to day.
That was a stupid excuse, the sarin attacks happened in the trains and popped plastic bags filled with liquid sarin with their sharpened umbrella tips. It did not involve trash bins, and if Japan was concerned, they'd get rid of their coin lockers but they don't because it makes money.
Tourists need to take responsibility for their trash, but some places do need to have a trash can, especially since Japanese wrap everything in freaking plastic!!
There is absolutely no place to throw away trash. Even bathrooms didn't have one. I definitely had to stuff it in my bag and take it on trains to the hotel.
I live here since 10 years, idiot. I don't care about tourists, I like having the option to throw something out rather than carrying it around the whole day while I run errands.
This sub is for residents, you shouldn't even be commenting here if you don't live here. Bye.
I will just say, ive never seen a beach as dirty as a very unknown local beach in nagasaki prefecture where i doubt tourists would ever visit. I started just dragging plastic out of the sea only to wonder what to do with it since there weren't any trashcans near.
A few trash cans here and there really wouldn't harm anyone
I didn't find it that difficult to keep a bag on me and carry my trash when I was there in October, but it's going to be harder if you're traveling as a group or family. Other people can't be bothered to even try.
If I recall, the reasons why they were removed were because of the rats and crows. Didn't want it to be like New York. With that being said, while some can point to tourists in areas like Akihabara or Shibuya after Halloween, a lot that I see are the homeless, especially here in Ikebukuro (specifically west).
That's a fair point, but then again, you aren't getting into random passport checks - and that's a good thing in my opinion. It's just not something that happens too often and when it does, it's usually in conjunction with something else, like being involved in an altercation etc. so the passport thing takes the back seat.
But littering is an isolated incident. But you are probably correct, it would require stricter enforcement.
Right. It was only the metro that removed them after the attack. JR has slowly been removing them over the last decade. They’ve been disappearing from parks as well. One of my local parks removed theirs last year.
Oddly, Takanawa Gateway had garbage cans by the north washroom when it first opened but now they are already gone.
So surprised - some trash cans would be helpful but also it’s not that hard to walk around with small trash. Most places you buy food can take your trash after you eat it.
Like a decade ago, when I went back to Japan and visited Tokyo first time in 8 years, for the love of god I couldn’t find any trash bin and I was so confused. My friend was so matter of fact about it too, like “yeah you just take your trash home.” Couldn’t tell if I was way too westernized or there was a change (to be fair I rarely visit Tokyo). It simply seems pretty impractical.
I went last year to visit a friend and couldn't believe there was no trash cans! she's like yeah my purse is always 75% trash, you can throw stuff out at 711's etc. wut? lol
That sucks. This is one thing that made me think about how much garbage I would generate through the day and created new habits for me like not eating or drinking on the go but at the restaurant itself so I could throw my garbage there and then be on my way. I thought this limited trash can policy was genius for that. Once you put too many trash cans and it becomes the expectation, habits reverse and the moment that trash can is full (which will happen in no time in Tokyo) people will just litter around it.
I had my boba drink in my bag with zero issues. My bag is also water proof and had a separate compartment for my passport and travel documents. I am on vacation in a foreign country. It is my responsibility to not be an absolute jerk and drop litter all over the place. If I see a trash can I can use them I will use it. But I won't complain if I can't find one and will do what I have to do to leave nothing behind when I leave.
It is super impractical, but I suppose it does train people to just bring their own trash home and never litter. But it does bother me. As does the fact that you just cannot sit down anywhere. Feels like you're not allowed to relax, at least not without going to a café and buying something.
I have never been to Japan, and have no specific interest in the culture. I just know that they have an increasingly difficult amount of tourist problems there. Similar to where i’m from (Norway).
I remember in Nakano, they removed trash bins from a park. People were upset and still trashing out in the place of the old trash bin. Was clearly part of it. It's always easy to buy drinks and stuff, but always so difficult to get rid of it after that
That was the oddest thing about visiting for me. There are so many places to get stuff to eat and drink and so few places to eat/drink/throw it away.
I've found that if you loiter about the place where you bought it, you can usually give them the garbage back.
That means you would need to consume it on the spot. This is usually not true for bottled drinks, and not intended to. And it is a waste of time for a tourist.
But you're also not supposed to walk and eat at the same time, so the loitering has to happen sometimes.
Why no eating while walking? Isn’t eating while on the go the origin of nigiri sushi? Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.
They consume meals quickly but it’s considered rude to eat while walking.
I’ve asked many Japanese friends about this very fact and not a single Japanese person has ever said it’s rude to eat while walking. Of course it’s rude if you’re making a mess and bothering other people with your mess, but that’s true for many things outside of eating while walking.
They're being polite and not saying "no" directly. Try asking "Do you ever eat while walking? Where? When?"
Exactly this …
As a regular visitor to Japan with Japanese family: it is extremely rare to see anyone eating and drinking on the go. Your friends have their opinions, but they aren't in line with what I've seen across multiple years and cities.
I didn't get it from the internet. I got it from observing people around me and from seeing signs in tourist areas saying something to the effect of "don't walk and eat".
Sorry but above commenter is correct, it is considered impolite to eat and drink while walking around at least amongst most Japanese - younger ones may not care as much.
Perpetuating a myth.
Lived in Japan for many years. Married to Japanese. Please just shut up.
Lived in Japan for many years and still ignorant.
We need not rely on someone getting second-hand information and can just go on lived experiences instead.
Exactly
I can confirm that in Japan it is indeed considered very rude to walk and eat at the same time and you’ll often see signs telling people to not do that. I’m half Japanese and I lived there for a bit. What you’re thinking of are standing diners and izakayas.
bottled water is easy to carry throughout your journey and dispose in certain location like kombini.
Waste of time?
Unless you're wandering the hinterlands, convenience stores and department stores have rubbish bins.
Plus, a number of trains do, as would supermarkets.
Yeah that's true only if you are a customer and it's their trash they made. They actually expect you to sometimes if it's messy like a stick of something.
If I had a empty bottle or a few loose wrappers I'd just take them to the konbinis and ask to throw them out there. It was never an issue.
Bottles yes. But bentos etc, with food waste are way more of an issue
As someone living here. They also think it's odd we own and buy something then seconds later suddenly it becomes this dirty horrible thing that needs disposing of instantly or your day is ruined.
Often the shop has small plastic bags you can keep your trash in for the rest of your day inside your bag or until you eventually find one that's acceptable to use.
Agreed. But it’s because it is culturally rude to eat/drink while you walk. They should have more trash cans in restaurants and near vending machines and benches though!
Oh that’s nonsense - I saw plenty of asian-looking folks (can’t say locals bc I can’t be certain) noshing & drinking on the run. I think the more important rule is to not talk loud in public.
Not all Asians are Japanese, lol.
That’s the point i made in parentheses : Reread!
You’re expected to consume your food at the place you bought it from
One could also just carry the empty bottle home. I did that today and thought nothing of it. It's normal and natural for me. I also wouldn't throw the bottle in a bin, because you get 25 cents for one in my home country.
I am not littering. I was carrying them with me. It wasn’t very hard for me to carry it with me. But it was an inconvenience that is unique to Japan and feels like it doesn’t have to be. Every morning in Shinjuku I watched people pick up the trash from the previous night and wondered how much less trash might be on the sidewalk if they just had a trash can there.
I’m far from an expert on Japanese waste management but it feels like a solution without meaningful drawbacks?
Just like with the U.K. this was done because of a terrorist attack.There was a Sarin Gas (a nerve agent) attack in the subway in March of 1995 using the trash cans. It affected 640 people.
That's the excuse but not the reason. Trash cans in parks and the like we're common until the early 2010s. They got removed because too many locals were using them for household waste disposal after trash collection fees went up.
I'm guessing you are speaking for the U.K and not japan.
Because you're supposed to carry them home and throw them out there.
People often say this but this is not an established social norm anywhere in the world.
The majority of people who are littering are Japanese.
Inb4 the netouyos on 5ch says those "Japanese who littered" are akshully Zainichi Korean and not exactly pure-blood Japanese who have been here since the islands emerged out of Izanami's womb.
Yeah I got that part it doesn’t make it less strange.
Always the response of the pick-me gaijjn-tachi 😂
Especially those who didn't live in Japan / never went 😅
It's Japanese who are littering, not tourists
Honestly, I always feel bad for going into a conbini just to throw trash.
And Japan has all of these make-work jobs. They could just remove 10% of those old dudes with the stubby lightsaber flashlights from "construction sites" and they'd have a huge team to collect litter from rubbish bins.
We went to a festival in kyoto last year. Lots of food stalls on either side of the road. We bought a few things then put our litter in the bin provided.
The bin provided was a cube about 1.5m each side. Yet the rubbish towered over the top. It was up to my shoulders, about 1.7m. We put our rubbish on the pile assuming it was the only bin and moved on. Then there was another 1.5m bin about 10m away. It was almost empty. Then there was another, also almost empty. And another. This was all in the market area where food was being sold.
Not sure why I thought of that. Maybe japanese people just don't want to use bins?
It's because the gaijins don't know Japanese culture - in that you take your trash home. That's why Japanese carry bags, even men with man-purse. Bring your trash home and dispose of it properly. That's how it works. Don't litter! It's your trash, hence it's your responsibility. That's our culture, if you don't like it then don't come to Japan.
Then don’t promote tourism.
You can’t welcome the $$ and shun the cost.
We don't! It's you guys coming because the yen is cheap and Japan gov't doesn't charge ridiculously high travel fees and taxes, unlike in the UK or Australia. That's the reason. Bunch of cheap and greedy people.
Council on Foreign Relations: Tourism as Double-edged Sword
You might want to get better informed about your government’s recent policies. Tourist spending has been helping to keep Japan solvent.
Japan has been solvent for centuries. Seems like you need a bit more education.
National debt of Japan 🤷🏻♂️
It’s trash, I ain’t trying to carry it on me for no reason, just to throw it in another bin somewhere inconvenient lol
Soranews: Tokyo considering law
Reality: Shibuya considering ordinance
Just like docudrama movies, Soranews is "based on a true story," but heavily dramatized to the point where you're not really sure where accuracy ends and fiction begins.
One of my strongest memories from my last trip was stumbling across the Kabuchiko Benzaiten shrine. It had two little wire trash can which were both buried under a mountain of trash.
I didn’t find it difficult to hold onto a bottle for an hour or two but the problem is pretty evident.
Sometimes people want to try a few drinks and they spend their entire days out. If I wasn’t able to throw stuff out I’d be carrying 4 drink containers and snack wraps for 8 hours
Or you could drop into a few conbini and drop off your rubbish at one that has bins.
i find this topic so hilarious as there are literally trash cans everywhere with a conbini every 20 meters or whatever
Throwing stuff out at these places is frowned upon if not purchased from there
Some even have their cans taped off and request you hand trash to the cashier
Lots of konbinis in high traffic areas don't have trash cans
then walk a bit further. no excuse for littering
What people "should" do doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is what is actually happening. And people are littering because there's no trash cans. So put up more trash cans.
Don't complain about a problem if you're going to throw your hands in the air and give us unrealistic solutions.
if walking 2 minutes is a problem for you you seriously need help
And plenty of konbinis have signs saying that the trash cans are only for stuff bought from the konbini. Will the staff say something? Probably not. But will they judge foreigners for disregarding the rules? Very likely.
most of the stuff IS stuff bought at konbini
But not that conbini. Reading is fundamental.
And they are ok with randos just showing up to use their trash can?
More like nobody cares if you drop a random bottle off in the recycling bin. There are far, far greater crimes to bother themselves with.
about fucking time…
It’s the wrong approach in my opinion. The city should provide these services, not force businesses to do it.
The same has been happening with bicycle parking. New construction projects are required to provide it while public parking is disappearing.
I think (just from my own logic) that they generally want someone to be responsible for a bin after the gas attacks.
yup finally.. I said last time, people will start dumping stuff on the streets if they don't change and add more bins.
You could put a trashcan every 3ft in some places in the US and you'd still have litter.
Japan could use a few more trashcans though.
This is a fair position, and true. America is built on having a trash can within arms reach half the time and making a conscious decision to litter anyway. Japan probably let the sarin gas attacks have too much of an effect on the availability of conveniently located refuse bins.
And in China you have trash cans everywhere but people still just throw it on the ground
I don't know maybe it's the case in the very rural areas because in semi rural areas (rural areas modernised) and cities I visited in China, they were very clean.
china is always on yalls minds
In my city by a bus stop I took daily there was always trash blowing around in the wind so I wrote to the local alderman and asked if it’s possible to put a can in on this corner to try and keep this intersection clean. To my surprise, a week later, they actually installed one.
Few weeks later the can was still mostly empty and all the trash was still blowing around the curb. One time waiting for a bus I even saw a guy eating McDonald’s while walking down the street, he finished his sandwich and threw the bag and wrapper into the bin. Maybe 10 steps later he finished his drink and threw it to the curb.
Japan does not = US. So, irrelevant.
I mean Americans treat their homes like trash cans too so obviously they’d litter everywhere
They need to do the trash bins like in Sweden (I think its sweden. I saw it on a reel/toktok) where its a bin on the surface, but under the pavement its basically a massive dumpster. There's no way an ordinary bin will be enough for their foot traffic.
They need to reinvent public trash bins. Probably do some type of underground infrastructure that somehow sends trash directly to a facility for disposal. Idk how its going to work, but that's for someone much smarter than myself to figure out.
that would require Japan to completely overhaul the way the government deals with trash currently.
The country has so many rules about trash, that individuals have to separate food waste, plastic waste, and further separate plastics between plastic bottles and the thinner plastic films or whatever it is.
imo it'd be easier if we as tourists just brought or bought our own disposable containers and put their goods into our containers and gave them back the packaging right after we buy it.
In my hotel room, I just had trash cans with no separation. How is that handled? I just dumped all my trash into the cans... snack wrappers, receipts, empty drink bottles, etc. Does housekeeping rummage thru all the guests hotel room trash and sort it?
They do have some recycle bins at the train station where all the slots for the recyclables go to the same bag. Lol it never made sense to me why they have those sorting slots.
Good ideas, but I doubt they would spend the money on it.
They won't because it doesn't make them money. If they cared about public safety because of some sarin attack a couple decades ago, they'd get rid of the coin lockers... but they don't. Because it makes them money.
Exactly
If I run an industrial company that produces pollution and I just dump it into the local river instead of deal with it, we all agree I'm the bad guy. I'm a selfish, irresponsible jerk who is polluting our world just to save myself some money. But let's suppose I don't run an industrial company, but I run a crepe stand. And instead of dumping my pollution directly into the local river, I hand it off to the customer in the form of disposable trash that comes with the product. Now, I'm not telling my customers to dump their trash and pollute the environment, but I'm still doing nothing to deal with the pollution my business creates. And if my customers have no where to put the trash, is anyone surprised that it is going to end up in the local street?
People love to blame the foreign tourists because the foreign tourists are highly visible and (*gasp*) different, but they're just continuing the proud Japanese tradition of Shibuya being full of businesses that don't take responsibility for their trash and the slobs who frequent them. I'm glad the city is finally asking the people who make a quick buck there to take some responsibility for their business. I hope the measure passes.
I’ve never encountered a stall/stand that didn’t collect their garbage (give it back to the staff).
I understand why they may not have a bin open, as other people would fill it with other trash that they would need to store and dispose of.
Here’s the thing, say you buy a drink like a coffee or matcha? Do you chug it standing right next to the store? Because everywhere else people will drink it casually.
Can someone remember me what's happened? 20 years ago there was lines of trash cans in front of every combini, then they disappeared. Parc had few trash cans (but not a lot to be honest). Today, the only place I know with a trash can is a fishing spot, I shit you not.
There was terror attack, which used a trash can. So they began to get rid of them, which was a big plus because they didn't need maintain and pay workers etc.
My theory is that, once the trash cans were removed, pressure was placed on other locations that still had them, forcing those places to limit or eliminate their trash cans. That probably created negative loop that eventually turned into a major problem, especially with a lot of visitors.
They even started getting rid of trash cans at smaller highway parking areas because people kept dumping household waste there, it’s incredible
Hope they work on having a soap and drying mechanism in every restroom next! I love Japan so much and this is the only thing that screams developing country to me.
More trash cans? I've never seen any.
It's Japan fault for not having them in the first place, you're not different, be normal like every other country
Nah not everyone's an animal like you. Those from other civilised countries are capable of not littering
If you don't want to have trash cans, don't complain when people litter
Putting trash cans is gonna make it easier for people to generate more trash. More people eating and drinking on the streets. Just like when you fund the homeless you get more homeless. Thats how the world actually works. If you got a child that cant clean his room, you dont keep cleaning it for him.
Wild how people think paying taxes out of their paycheck to subsidize other’ poor habits is a good thing
You think more trash cans will mean more trash? That is some poor logic right there lol. All it would mean is less trash where it shouldn’t be (like on the ground).
Explain Osaka then (points to all the litter).
Tell me you have no idea why they do it without telling me
Bullshit, there's trash bins in train stations. If still related to assaults 20 years ago, it's old stories. They are still removing trash bins and that's because Cities don't want to spend money on trash bins anymore. Way easier for them to give this issue to shops. And they also remove trash bins for the same reason
If Japan was also worried about terrorism, they'd remove the coin lockers. Placing a bomb in a large coin locker is easier than trying to shove something in a small half-filled trash can with a opening that can barely fit a bag.
I don't understand. Could you please tell me why Japan is so special?
I'll preface this by saying that I dislike lugging my trash around and looking for a trash bin, but just blatantly spewing opinions without considering why things are the way they are is not how discussions should be done. There are a couple of reasons why trash bins are few and far between:
Reason 1: Garbage collection and trash bin cleaning/maintenance are expensive. This way, municipalities save money, and they pass the cost onto the people and stores
Reason 2: A gas attack happened a while ago inside the Tokyo metro, and the government decided that trash bins are a potential hiding spot for materials that are used in such an attack
Reason 3: Public trash bins often aren't sorted well, so taking your trash home is encouraged, where people will recycle more due to the societal pressure
I still don't understand what makes Japan so special.
- Trash can cleaning and maintenance cost money in every country.
- Many other countries have much higher risk of terrorism. If terrorism was really a concern, why did they have trash cans on the platform of the busiest train station in the world, Shinjuku, yet my local suburban park doesn't have one?
- It's hard to get people to sort trash in other countries also.
“This way, municipalities save money, and they pass the cost onto the people”
The naivety is almost endearing 😂
Where’s the naivety?
But if I‘m not wrong, the gas was dispersed inside the cars, not trash cans. They removed everything because they overreacted. Sure, it works for them I guess, but it would’ve changed probably nothing if they kept the majority of trash cans
YES! You won't die Tokyo, by putting out and maintaining more trash bins. SERIOUSLY!
Pretty much every single country in the world has decided that there is merit in placing ample trash cans in heavily touristed areas. Why is Japan so different?
People are generally good, and almost all will use trashcans if they are available.
The area around my house never sees any tourists, but there are areas that are covered in trash.
People say that you should carry your trash around with you all day and throw it out when you get home, but try telling that to a drunk salaryman at 11pm who is not going to carry some chu-hi can around with him all night when he meets his co-workers. Instead he will just throw it in my bicycle's basket and I will have to clean it up in the morning.
(The fact that they go to the trouble to put in in my basket shows that if trash cans were available they would use them. I suggest a law that every place that sells drinks must accept bottles and cans, no questions asked.)
Japanese young people trash around lol they just buy stuff at the combini and littering just outside of it
Laughs in Osaka.
Yeah but something bad happened that one time so they’re too abunai and everyone should suffer instead
They need to pass law to add more bins???
Yes because they removed them due to terrorism
What terrorism is that? We have bins in London.
It was Bin Laden.
I didn’t mind carrying my bottles etc for a short time but let’s be honest no one wants to have to wait an extended period of time to find a bin. The stores everyone talks about having bins shouldn’t have to deal with outside rubbish.
Definitely need them in the tourist areas.
I have no qualms with adding trash cans, but raised in Japan I never really noticed or cared that there were so few. What garbage does everyone have that they can’t throw out at a convenience store/train station or wherever they originally bought the item? Is it because foreign people don’t carry bags? Not in an accusatory way I just really don’t get what everyone is doing that I or many Japanese people are not.
If people buy like a Starbucks drink, they dont want to put an open container in their purse for starters which can splash about.
If people go shopping and stores don’t accept outside food and beverage, they’re not allowed in… but they also won’t take the drink or food away to allow the customer to shop. I literally had jt happen last week in Ometesando. I wanted to see this new collection and had a cup of matcha in my hand, not bottle. I wanted to give it to them because it was an open container and I couldnt put it in my bag but they said they had no trash can. It was empty, but there was residue.
But there’s a Starbucks on every corner, why would you not just throw it away at Starbucks?
There literally isn't, but also insert every other coffee/matcha shop from large chain to individual operators. I'm not going unhinge my jaw and shoot back a 16oz matcha in a shop.
There are 5 different Starbucks right along Omotesando you can throw Starbucks garbage away at… there’s more than literally one on every corner. You can throw away at the lawson not to mention there are public trash cans specifically on Omotesando. Did you just not know this or do you mean it’s still too inconvenient?
Ometesando is tiny, by the time I'm done with my drink I'm in Daikanyama and you want people to hunt down the chain in the new location? When you make things hard for people, people typically choose the easy way out.
Also, you still didn't answer getting beverages from small and independent shops. Like what do you personally have against more means of disposing trash. The trash has to go somewhere... the longer it doesn't have a place to go, the more likely it ends up as litter.
You're asking why, and I'm answering. Even the Japanese litter... it's not just tourists. Look at Osaka.
I am all for more trash cans being installed, as I said, I’m just curious because I don’t experience this lack of trash cans. You can throw starbucks or any coffee cup/small garbage away at a convenience store or at the station. Logistically in a place like daikanyama, where half the streets you’re walking down are small and don’t even have side walks and are shared with cars, where do people expect these garbage cans to be? I think more garbage cans is fine, I just honestly don’t understand what this supposed garbage is that everyone cannot find a place to dispose of. I get your example but surely that would be easily fixed by just eating/drinking after or before you shop in clothing store, especially somewhere cramped like omotesando or harajuku. Even with more garbage cans installed that won’t you still have to step out of the store and find one if you were in that situation again? It’s not like any country has them installed in front of every little shop.
Just make non citizens pay a trash tax. Build in citizens on Suica for ease.
When I went to Japan. It wasn’t too difficult to discard of trash. Just stop by a local convenience store. They usually have a trash can right near the food prep area. And the convenience stores are literally located everywhere.
Although I agree they need more garbage cans, all train stations have trash cans if you really need to find one. I found it easier to find a one the 2nd time I visited.
its fine, people will just littering since there are people thinking more trash can won’t change anything, then don’t increase it. people who littering will feel less guilty to do so. Win win
I wondered if that would start to happen. We went there as soon as it opened after the pandemic and we diligently carried our trash with us until we returned back to where we were staying. But after witnessing “the world” leaving piles of garbage on my favourite trails at home - i knew that wouldn’t last
I was in awe that dontonbori had so many public trash cans last time I was there
When I visited Japan pre-Covid part of the cultural instructions were to expect to carry your trash with you, maybe bring a small plastic bag to put in your purse. Because years ago trash cans were bombed or something, so they were not prolific anymore.
Strange this info was lost to time
It's not that it's lost to time, just that it's not relevant anymore. The sarin attacks involved plastic bags on the trains being popped with sharpened umbrella tips as the attackers left.
Keep in mind right there's like coin lockers all over the place that can hold a carry-on size luggage worth of bombs and shrapnel that never gets addressed because it drives revenue.
Tourists need to respect the place theyre visiting. Ive started bringing a ziplock for my my garbo then just dumping it back at my accommodations with the recycling on the side. Ive found it makes me more mindful of how much plastic waste I produce day to day.
They took the trash cans away because of the terrorist bombings right??
That was a stupid excuse, the sarin attacks happened in the trains and popped plastic bags filled with liquid sarin with their sharpened umbrella tips. It did not involve trash bins, and if Japan was concerned, they'd get rid of their coin lockers but they don't because it makes money.
Ahh gotcha
Tourists need to take responsibility for their trash, but some places do need to have a trash can, especially since Japanese wrap everything in freaking plastic!!
There is absolutely no place to throw away trash. Even bathrooms didn't have one. I definitely had to stuff it in my bag and take it on trains to the hotel.
The local youth will find a place to litter anyway. Follow them.
Ye but japanese on average have like no trash cans. Okinawa was ridiculous.
We always had a spare bag to take our trash with us. How hard is that to understand?
It's convenient to have trash cans on the street. Most countries have them. Carrying a bunch of trash all day long sucks.
How hard is that to understand?
But when you travel somewhere else, you abide by their rules. If you can't understand that, don't go there. Easy.
I live here since 10 years, idiot. I don't care about tourists, I like having the option to throw something out rather than carrying it around the whole day while I run errands.
This sub is for residents, you shouldn't even be commenting here if you don't live here. Bye.
Never understood why so few trash bins despite the inordinate amount of packaging on products
Congrats on Tokyo for doing a u-turn on trash cans policy
Last time I was in Japan I carried an empty drink for over half a day. The cans I did find were overflowing.
I will just say, ive never seen a beach as dirty as a very unknown local beach in nagasaki prefecture where i doubt tourists would ever visit. I started just dragging plastic out of the sea only to wonder what to do with it since there weren't any trashcans near.
A few trash cans here and there really wouldn't harm anyone
There were no trash cans to begin with.
Please please add more trash cans on the city. I love Japan but the trash cans thing is the only thing I was so uncomfortable with
I didn't find it that difficult to keep a bag on me and carry my trash when I was there in October, but it's going to be harder if you're traveling as a group or family. Other people can't be bothered to even try.
If I recall, the reasons why they were removed were because of the rats and crows. Didn't want it to be like New York. With that being said, while some can point to tourists in areas like Akihabara or Shibuya after Halloween, a lot that I see are the homeless, especially here in Ikebukuro (specifically west).
It is annoying as hell. At least have businesses have a small garbage can outside for basic litter.
I had to carry a empty coffee cup for 2 hours before I found a place
I just carried my trash in plastic bags that I brought from home, and dumped it into my hotel’s microscopic😆 trash cans. Not a big deal.
Kinda sucks that the fine for littering is so low. Not going to deter people.
Littering is largely an issue brought about by a lack of garbage cans. Give people garbage cans and they won't litter.
Tourists don't know the level of littering fines.
Until the fines hit a few people and it gets picked up by media.
People don't know the fines for not having your passport with you and that's already ridiculously high.
That's a fair point, but then again, you aren't getting into random passport checks - and that's a good thing in my opinion. It's just not something that happens too often and when it does, it's usually in conjunction with something else, like being involved in an altercation etc. so the passport thing takes the back seat.
But littering is an isolated incident. But you are probably correct, it would require stricter enforcement.
I think you deeply underestimate how often some groups of people just get randomly checked by Japanese policemen.
All the public trash cans disappeared after the satin subway attacks in 1995. (some gas canisters were placed in garbage cans).
No they did not disappear, they were reduced. There have been plenty since. It was the lead up to the 2020/2021 Olympics when most disappeared
Right. It was only the metro that removed them after the attack. JR has slowly been removing them over the last decade. They’ve been disappearing from parks as well. One of my local parks removed theirs last year.
Oddly, Takanawa Gateway had garbage cans by the north washroom when it first opened but now they are already gone.
Also gave them a good excuse to save money by not having trash cans and workers to maintain them.
Someone could have left something in or next to a vending machine, but those would not disappear because they generate money.
Ah yes, the sexy satin lingerie flash mob Tokyo-wide.
Classic knee jerk reaction, it really makes no sense considering how most things in Jaoan are convenient
If Japan wa so afraid of tourism, they'd get rid of their coin lockers which can hold a carry-on size bomb compared to a small garbage.
Ooh god, don't give anyone any ideas. Like most places with huge spikes in tourism, they love the cash flow but struggle with rapid change.
So surprised - some trash cans would be helpful but also it’s not that hard to walk around with small trash. Most places you buy food can take your trash after you eat it.
Good!!
Like a decade ago, when I went back to Japan and visited Tokyo first time in 8 years, for the love of god I couldn’t find any trash bin and I was so confused. My friend was so matter of fact about it too, like “yeah you just take your trash home.” Couldn’t tell if I was way too westernized or there was a change (to be fair I rarely visit Tokyo). It simply seems pretty impractical.
I took my trash home, but I ended up having to spend $40 on a duffel bag and an $80 extra luggage fee to get it back to London.
I went last year to visit a friend and couldn't believe there was no trash cans! she's like yeah my purse is always 75% trash, you can throw stuff out at 711's etc. wut? lol
Nothing like putting your documents, your money, your phone, your cosmetics next to a greasy food wrapper.
Finally. Theres that 外圧 at work
That sucks. This is one thing that made me think about how much garbage I would generate through the day and created new habits for me like not eating or drinking on the go but at the restaurant itself so I could throw my garbage there and then be on my way. I thought this limited trash can policy was genius for that. Once you put too many trash cans and it becomes the expectation, habits reverse and the moment that trash can is full (which will happen in no time in Tokyo) people will just litter around it.
I just carried everything in my day bag like a normal person.
Like your open Starbucks plastic cup with caramel frapp. dripping into your personal bag? I understand maybe bottles.
I had my boba drink in my bag with zero issues. My bag is also water proof and had a separate compartment for my passport and travel documents. I am on vacation in a foreign country. It is my responsibility to not be an absolute jerk and drop litter all over the place. If I see a trash can I can use them I will use it. But I won't complain if I can't find one and will do what I have to do to leave nothing behind when I leave.
Thanks ya filthy tourists!
Just arrest the tourists
It is super impractical, but I suppose it does train people to just bring their own trash home and never litter. But it does bother me. As does the fact that you just cannot sit down anywhere. Feels like you're not allowed to relax, at least not without going to a café and buying something.
Welcome to the civilized world, Shibuya-koo
When I see the replies in this thread I get why they hate foreigners.
Wanting more trash cans is now a reason to be a racist? I swear, weebs and their logic...
I have never been to Japan, and have no specific interest in the culture. I just know that they have an increasingly difficult amount of tourist problems there. Similar to where i’m from (Norway).
God forbid tourists and locals want more trash cans. You're a classic foreigner hating on foreigners on behalf of the noble Japanese.
Shinjuku is pretty grimy. On par with Ktown in LA, which is saying something.
That’s a very specific comparison. In contrast, LA Ktown has Mexicans that know how to cook Korean food.