Apr 5, 2025
The Clean Streets of Japan
One of the first things that really struck me when I moved to Japan was just how clean everything is. Seriously, the streets are spotless. Whether you’re walking through busy shopping areas, residential neighborhoods, or even train stations, you hardly ever see any trash lying around. It’s honestly kind of amazing.
Here’s the crazy part: there are barely any trash bins around. I remember this one time at a train station—there was this foreigner pacing around, looking for a trash can. He was getting pretty mad because he couldn’t find one, and you could tell he was totally frustrated. But that’s the thing about Japan—it’s clean because people don’t just toss their trash everywhere. They actually hold on to it until they can dispose of it properly, usually at home or in the rare places where trash cans do exist.
What really blows my mind is how disciplined everyone is. It’s not just about the streets being clean; it’s about how people take responsibility for keeping things tidy. It’s like they have this unwritten rule that if you make a mess, you clean it up, no matter where you are. I honestly think it comes down to a deep respect for others and the environment. People here are just naturally considerate, and it shows in how they maintain their surroundings.
1 Comment
TonetoEdo
on Apr 5
The municipal government where I live, Noda City, will provide extra regulation garbage bags to volunteer garbage pickers. Japan's municipalities are dependent on the good will of garbage pickers to keep streets clean. Unacknolwedged and unpaid. And dealing with a huge volume of trash people drop behind themselves. The sad part is a lot of the worst garbage spots - everywhere in Japan including where you live in suburban Chiba Prefecture - are on national land that garbage pickers are forbidden from entering. It's not just ugly but a threat to public health and widlife.