Are you use to with streets lined with trashcan to dispose of your used items? Not the case in the land of the rising sun. There is a fine art to finding a trash can or as some would say, a rubbish bin, or ゴミ箱 (gomi bako, trash can) in Japan.
Whereas it’s horribly embarrassing for me to see the litter everywhere in my home country of America, you will be hard-pressed to find anything close to the same in Japan (Shibuya at Halloween aside, and even then there is a massive undertaking by participants to clean up after themselves).
Japan is so good at keeping their space tidy that it makes world news when they help clean up stadiums. Something maybe more of us should take note of.
Why are there no trash cans in Japan?
In March of 1995, there was a sarin gas attack on the Tokyo Metro system, a shock to the nearly crime-less nation, that killed over 10 people and injured thousands. The doomsday cult members responsible, known as Aum Shinrikyo, were hung for their crimes in 2018.
The lasting effect was the removal of trash cans. Why? The chemical weapons were released from a garbage can. While they have slowly remade an appearance, the consequences are still felt today.
Take for instance before the G-7 summit in 2016, all trashcan were removed from the stations yet again as a safety precaution.
While crime remains low in Japan, it is always good to be cautious!
Where to find trash can in Japan?
Don’t expect to find trash cans lining the streets like you would in other countries. Where you can expect to find them is in train stations (yes, they are back!) And most convenience stores (コンビニ, conbini). Something to keep mind of when you are on a trip to Japan or living there.
Japan is very pro-recycling so when you do find them, make sure you are disposing of the correct item. Most often you will see disposal units next to vending machines. It’s very common for people in Japan to not eat and walk, an interesting cultural etiquette to take note of. So if at a vending machine, you’ll generally find people will drink immediately there and dispose of their empty container.
What to do if I can’t find a trash can in Japan?
Don’t throw your trash on the ground, obviously! It’s common to have a plastic bag on your person to keep miscellaneous items to discard throughout the day. You can bring it back to your hotel or home or if you see a convenience store, that’s my normal go-to option. Department stores are another and of course, train stations you will see them more frequently.
Help clean up
If you are out in the early morning, you’ll notice store clerks outside sweeping the sidewalks/street to make it look presentable. If I see trash floating around, I’ll normally grab it. Placing it in aforementioned plastic bag I’m carrying around.
One thing I don’t understand, as whereas the streets are always clean, for some reason the ocean is very much NOT. So beware of trash if you are swimming in one of the many beaches in Japan (many of which are a quick day trip from Tokyo). There is a strong cleaning effort for that as well and as no one likes trash in the ocean! So help out and do your part to not have it on the street so to alleviate potential to end up there. While they are hard to find, it still is possible to find a trash can in Japan!
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