Visiting Japan? Here’s How to Handle Trash in a Country Without Trash Cans

Japan had beaten Germany 2-1 in the world cup in 2022 in Qatar which surprised many.

However, the story coming out of that world cup was not just of Japan winning soccer games in miraculous ways, but also how the Japanese fans stayed after the game and cleaned the stadium.

It made headlines all over the world, brandishing attention and surprising everyone at the concept. Which was this, you ready––clean up after yourself. Mind blown. What a concept! The crowds around the world discovered for the first time in history that if you picked up the trash around yourself you would be clean. Yes. That is sarcasm.

Japanese Trash Cans

When you come to Japan, you are going to notice how clean the city streets, the countryside, and all in between are. But here is the kicker; trash bins or cans are few and far in between––some even say they are a myth (<--- this part is a joke, there are trash cans I talk about them later).

Allow me to elaborate further, there are almost no public trash cans anywhere you go. In Japan public trash cans are very rare, and the country is quite clean of litter. Nobody just throws something away out the window or on the floor, whether the trash is biodegradable or not.

Contrast it with my home country the U.S. where even though there are trash cans everywhere and in every direction people throw their trash away everywhere except the trash cans. The irony is not lost on me everytime I walk around Japan. No trash cans yet no trash, but at home trash cans are abundant and so is the trash.

Cleanliness in Japanese Culture: Early Life

 Cleanliness is taught to Japanese people from the time they enter pre-kindergarten, and all through their elementary, junior high, and high school years. Cleaning time in Japanese schools is part of the curriculum. The roles are discussed in the homeroom; each student's responsibilities rotate from classroom cleaning, toilet cleaning, hallway cleaning, and others. 

Each sector to be cleaned is oversaught by a teacher, and it is the responsibility of the teacher to teach the student the proper way to clean that sector. In addition, the entire school is cleaned. Everything from pulling weeds and watering plants to scrubbing carpet with soap and a brush to scrubbing the toilets.

Imagine elementary school is six years, junior high school is three years, and high school is three years. That is twelve years of cleaning every school day (not including rest days). Furthermore, not only are they learning the habit of cleaning, but they are also learning what it means to be clean. The concepts are so simple, too! “Leave it the way it was found.”

First, the habit of cleaning every day is created and enforced. Which makes the realization of each person's role and contribution clear. The children get to see what their work looks like in action. If one child lags behind or slacks off on their work it becomes noticeable to everyone. Especially because the roles are not only defined, but they are chosen and established by the children themselves.

They are taught to be a team, and taught to find harmony with their team. Which reflects within the wider society of Japan as a whole. The organization and structure of how they organize themselves is evident no matter the age. In addition, the culture of shame in Japan ensures that each person does their part well to save face.

Established Habits

Moving beyond school, there are some safeguards within the culture that prevents the need to clean. One of which is not eating and walking at the same time. We go over this very question in another post which can be found here. Take a look at that for a detailed answer to that question, which also gives insight into how litter is viewed from the perspective of the Japanese.

Another safe-guard is the idea of bringing your trash home. So, for example, let’s say you go out with the family on a picnic. You prepare, pack lunches, bring snacks, wet wipes, paper plates, spoons, food, and everything else you would need for a picnic. All the trash you would accumulate on the picnic is put into plastic bags and taken home and thrown away.

This is if there is no designated trash disposal at whatever park you go to––most of them do not have them. With this idea in mind, people try to do things that incur the least amount of trash.

All of these ideas are tied into the concept of 調和 or “chouwa,” harmony in English. The concept points to how everyone is thought of as equal, outside of the work hierarchy. Meaning, the idea that most foreigners have that says “not my job” does not exist. Each person faithfully does their part.

So if a person sees trash on the floor they would pick it up if they are able. They do not see themselves as better than the job of cleaning their surroundings. The concept of harmony in Japan extends to more than just cleanliness, and it is something that we can go over in a future post.

Advice for Tourists Visiting Japan

As a tourist you are likely to accumulate trash with every gift shop purchase or street food buy. It is going to get frustrating the more trash you accumulate as you are walking all over Tokyo, Osaka, or Yamanashi––unable to find a public trash can. The last thing you want to do is incur the wrath of the Japanese locals. Let’s get into it.

1. Eat near the street food vendors.

If you buy something from a vendor, eat or drink the item near the them. And when you are done with it, give the trash to the vendor and they will take care of it. The vast majority of vendors will take your trash.

However there is one scenario that you might run into trouble. If you go to a festival and buy something from a vendor they may not take your trash, because of the crowds. Don’t worry, there are usually areas where you can throw garbage away at festivals. But bring a plastic bag just in case.

2. For plastic bottles and aluminum cans, find a vending machine.

Luckily for you there are millions of vending machines all over Japan. Here is the best part of the vending machine. Near each one there is a bin for the bottles and aluminum cans.

However do not put anything other than plastic bottles or aluminum cans in them. No coffee cups! No other kinds of trash either. The people who manage the vending machines are not waste management, they are typically people associated with the drink companies.

One other thing you will notice about the collection bins around vending machines is that some of them have circular insert ports for the designated items. However if you looked closer even though the ports are for different items they all go to the same bin. 

One anecdote says that the reason for this is to condition the people to remember to separate trash. Another anecdote says it is to make it more difficult to throw away anything other than bottles and cans.

3. There actually trash cans in certain places.

Okay, technically yes there are. But they are rare, very rare. They are usually in the train stations with windows into them so that people can see what is inside them. There is a very sad reason why they are like that, and it involves a cult and terrorist attack. Here is a link to the wikipedia page to find out more about it. 

These see through trash bins are, in my own observation, far from the area where people gather or aggregate for the reason stated above. They separate the trash usually with bottles, cans, burnables, and newspapers. Yes, people in Japan still read physical newspapers, and being that a train station is for commuters, it is the perfect place for these collection bins.

In larger places like a mall or shopping center, you might find a row of trash bins for the different types of trash. To find these things is different for each shopping center or mall. There isn't a formula for finding them, but it might be near restrooms. The photo below was taken in an area nowhere near a restroom. Welcome to Japan.

4. Convenience stores and grocery store trash cans.

You can throw your trash away at convenience stores. Keep in mind, that technically––you are not supposed to throw things away there if you aren’t a customer. However, most places won’t say anything. For example, there are some places that have really big trash bins because they know people throw their things away with them. This is not an endorsement, but not a condemnation. You can make your own decision.

For grocery stores, you might see a recyclable collection area. In this case, you can throw away aluminum cans, glass bottles, food trays, plastic bottles, magazines, cardboard boxes, milk cartons, and the plastic bags. Mind you these areas are not for collecting burnable trash. However if you have something small that you want to throw away, at the entryways of most grocery stores there is a small bin for burnable trash. Actually, the main use for these entrance trash bins are for throwing away the umbrella bags. It might surprise you to see how empty these bins can be because of the next listing.

Yellow sticker translation: "Please throw away trash other than burnable trash (i.e. plastic bottles, aluminum cans), at the recycle bins."

5. Bring your own plastic bag and take your trash home. 

Translation of the Japanese sentence: "Don't litter, and take your trash home."

Let’s say you are shopping and get a plastic bag from the convenience store. Keep the bag, and use it as a way to throw things away. At the end of the day bring the trash back to the hotel or wherever you are staying and dispose of it there. That is quite literally what everyone in Japan does. 

If you don't believe me, ask any random Japanese person on the street if they have a spare trash bag. Don't act surprised when they pull one out, because I already told you so. 

Final Thought

Finally, the most interesting thing about coming to Japan is the role you play as a tourist here. You may not be Japanese, but you also have a role within the harmony of this society. No matter how small the role is, you can be a part of Japan by doing your part in keeping Japan clean.