Japan is famous for its spotless streets. So why are public rubbish bins so hard to find?

From a deadlyśmiertelny 1995 attack to deeply ingrained social normsgłęboko zakorzenione normy społeczne, the story of Japan's scarcenieliczny rubbish bins is more complicated than it first appears.

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Japan has few public rubbish bins for several reasons. These include a deadly attack in 1995 and long-standingutrwalony, istniejący od dawna social rules.

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The scarcityniedobór of public rubbish bins in Japan has a more complex history than it might initially seem, shapedukształtowana by everything from the deadly 1995 attack to deeply rooted social normsnormy społeczne.

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After a day of sightseeing in Tokyo, you may find yourself still holding an empty coffee cup and the wrapper from a 7-11 egg sandwich, increasingly puzzledzdezorientowany. Japan is famous for its strong focus on cleanliness—so why are there so few places to throw things awaywyrzucić rzeczy?

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If you spend a day seeing Tokyo, you may have to carry an empty coffee cup and the wrapperopakowanie from a 7-11 egg sandwich. You may also feel confused. Japan is famous for being clean, so why is it so hard to find a rubbish binkosz na śmieci?

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Spend a day sightseeing in Tokyo and you may find yourself carrying an empty coffee cup, your 7-11 egg sandojapońska kanapka z jajkiem wrapper and a growing sense of confusion. Japan is renownedznany for prizingcenienie cleanliness – so why is there nowhere to throw anything away?

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Many visitors know this frustrationfrustracja. It has led to countlessniezliczone social media videos of confused tourists searching the clean streets for a rubbish binkosz na śmieci.

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This is a familiar source of frustration for visitors, promptingpowodując countless social media videos in which bewilderedzdezorientowani tourists scourprzeczesują the immaculatenieskazitelnie czyste streets in search ofw poszukiwaniu a rubbish bin.

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It's a frustration familiar to visitors, and one that has spawneddało początek countless social media videos of bewilderedzdezorientowanych tourists hunting the spotlessnieskazitelnie czyste streets for a rubbish bin.

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But the answer is not as simple as it seems at first.

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However, the answer is more complexzłożony than it initiallypoczątkowo appears.

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But the answer is more complicatedskomplikowany than it first appears.

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"It is a complexzłożony mix of historical developmentsrozwój wydarzeń historycznych… economic phenomenazjawiska gospodarcze, political events and their variegatedróżnorodny effects on how people decide to act," says Eiko Maruko Siniawer, history professor at Williams College and author of Waste: Consuming Postwar Japan.

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“It comes from a mix of past events, economic changes, political events, and the different ways these things affect people’s choices,” says Eiko Maruko Siniawer, a history professor at Williams College and author of *Waste: Consuming Postwar Japan*.

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“It is the product of a complex interplaywzajemne oddziaływanie among historical developments, economic forces, political events, and their varied effects on human decision-makingpodejmowanie decyzji,” says Eiko Maruko Siniawer, professor of history at Williams College and author of *Waste: Consuming Postwar Japan*.

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Japan did not always have so few rubbish binskosze na śmieci. Siniawer says March 1995 was an important change. During the morning rush hour, members of the Aum Shinrikyō cultsekta released sarinsarin gas on three Tokyo Metro lines. Fourteen people died and thousands were hurt. After this, officialsurzędnicy closed or removed rubbish binskosze na śmieci to help prevent terrorist attacks.

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Japan was not always a nation with so few public bins. Siniawer identifies March 1995 as a major turning pointpunkt zwrotny in the country’s bin culture: during the morning rush hourgodziny szczytu, members of the Aum Shinrikyō cult released sarin gas on three Tokyo Metro lines, killing 14 people and injuring thousands. In response, authorities sealed or removed rubbish bins as a counter-terrorismprzeciwdziałanie terroryzmowi measure.

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Japan wasn't always a bin-lesspozbawiony koszy na śmieci nation. Siniawer points to March 1995 as a major turning pointpunkt zwrotny in the nation's bin culture – when members of the Aum Shinrikyō cultsekta released sarinsarin gas on three Tokyo Metro lines during the morning rush hour, killing 14 and injuring thousands. In the aftermathnastępstwa, authorities sealedzapieczętowały or removed rubbish bins as a terrorism-prevention measureśrodek zapobiegający terroryzmowi.

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Najtrudniejsze słówka:

bin-less - pozbawiony koszy na śmieci

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The city centre became almost bin-less after the security changes.

Po zmianach związanych z bezpieczeństwem centrum miasta niemal całkowicie pozbawiono koszy na śmieci.

cult - sekta

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The cult attracted new members through its promises of a better life.

Sekta przyciągała nowych członków, obiecując im lepsze życie.

sarin - sarin

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Sarin is a highly toxic chemical nerve agent.

Sarin jest silnie toksycznym bojowym środkiem paralityczno-drgawkowym.

aftermath - następstwa

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In the aftermath of the storm, many roads remained closed.

W następstwie burzy wiele dróg pozostało zamkniętych.

sealed - zapieczętowały

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Officials sealed the entrance until the building was declared safe.

Urzędnicy zapieczętowali wejście, dopóki budynek nie został uznany za bezpieczny.

Idiomy:

turning point - punkt zwrotny

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The election marked a turning point in the country's history.

Wybory stanowiły punkt zwrotny w historii kraju.

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terrorism-prevention measure - środek zapobiegający terroryzmowi

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Removing the bins was a terrorism-prevention measure.

Usunięcie koszy było środkiem zapobiegającym terroryzmowi.

Subsequent terrorist attacks worldwide, including the September 11 attacks in the United States, helped entrenchutrwalić these measures. Yet three decades ontrzy dekady później, security concerns alone cannot account forwyjaśniać the limited return of rubbish bins—or for Japan’s remarkably litter-freewolny od śmieci streets.

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Subsequentpóźniejsze terrorist attacks around the world, including 9/11 in the US, helped ensurezapewnić those measures stuckutrzymały się. But three decades latertrzy dekady później, security alone doesn't explain why so few bins have returned – or why Japan remains so remarkably litter-freewolny od śmieci.

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Later terrorist attacks around the world, including the 9/11 attacks in the US, helped keep these measures in placeutrzymać te środki w mocy. But 30 years later, safety concerns alone do not explain why so few bins have come back or why Japan is still so free of litterśmieci.

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Cost and practical issues are part of the reason. Since the 2000s, some local governments have chosen to put fewer bins on the streets, says Aya Yoshida of Japan's National Institute for Environmental Studies. They want people to take their rubbish home.

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Cost and practicalitypraktyczność are part of the answer. Since the 2000s, some municipalitiesgminy have deliberately reduced street bins, says Aya Yoshida of Japan's National Institute for Environmental Studies, to encourage people to take their rubbish home.

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Cost and practical considerations also help explain the decline. Since the 2000s, some municipalitiesgminy have intentionallycelowo removed street bins to encourage people to take their rubbish home, says Aya Yoshida of Japan's National Institute for Environmental Studies.

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Yoshida adds that, from 2011, Kyoto reduced its number of street bins by more than half after problems—including household waste being dumped in them and litter accumulatinggromadzące się nearby—drove uppodniosły the costs of maintainingutrzymywania and managing the bins.

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Yoshida adds that Kyoto cut the number of street bins by more than half from 2011. People were putting household rubbish in them, and litter was building upgromadziły się around them. This made the bins more expensive to look afterdbać o and manage.

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"In Kyoto, for example, the number of street bins was cut by more than half […] from 2011, after problems such as household wasteodpady z gospodarstw domowych being depositedwyrzucane in them and litter accumulatinggromadzące się around them increased the costs of maintaining and managing those bins," Yoshida adds.

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So why are the streets not more full of rubbish? Yoshida says we should not think Japan is clean only because Japanese people are naturally tidy. Clean streets are also the result of many years of planned work. She says that for decades, local governments have run campaignskampanie against litteringzaśmiecanie, taught people about the issue, cleaned streets, and changed public spaces to make people less likely to drop rubbish.

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So why isn't there more litter on the streets? Yoshida cautions againstprzestrzega przed attributingprzypisywanie Japan's cleanliness to some uniquely Japanese sense of tidinessschludność. Clean streets, she stresses, are also the result of years of deliberateprzemyślany policy. "For decades, municipalitiessamorządy have invested in anti-littering campaigns, public education, street cleaning and environmental design measuresrozwiązania w zakresie projektowania przestrzeni z myślą o środowisku intended to discouragezniechęcać do littering," she says.

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Najtrudniejsze słówka:

attributing - przypisywanie

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Yoshida cautions against attributing Japan's cleanliness to some uniquely Japanese sense of tidiness.

Yoshida przestrzega przed przypisywaniem czystości Japonii jakiemuś wyjątkowo japońskiemu poczuciu schludności.

tidiness - schludność

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Yoshida cautions against attributing Japan's cleanliness to some uniquely Japanese sense of tidiness.

Yoshida przestrzega przed przypisywaniem czystości Japonii jakiemuś wyjątkowo japońskiemu poczuciu schludności.

deliberate - przemyślany

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Clean streets, she stresses, are also the result of years of deliberate policy.

Podkreśla, że czyste ulice są również rezultatem wieloletniej, przemyślanej polityki.

municipalities - samorządy

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For decades, municipalities have invested in anti-littering campaigns, public education, street cleaning and environmental design measures intended to discourage littering.

Od dziesięcioleci samorządy inwestują w kampanie przeciw zaśmiecaniu, edukację publiczną, sprzątanie ulic oraz rozwiązania w zakresie projektowania przestrzeni, których celem jest zniechęcanie do zaśmiecania.

discourage - zniechęcać do

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For decades, municipalities have invested in anti-littering campaigns, public education, street cleaning and environmental design measures intended to discourage littering.

Od dziesięcioleci samorządy inwestują w kampanie przeciw zaśmiecaniu, edukację publiczną, sprzątanie ulic oraz rozwiązania w zakresie projektowania przestrzeni, których celem jest zniechęcanie do zaśmiecania.

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cautions against - przestrzega przed

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Yoshida cautions against attributing Japan's cleanliness to some uniquely Japanese sense of tidiness.

Yoshida przestrzega przed przypisywaniem czystości Japonii jakiemuś wyjątkowo japońskiemu poczuciu schludności.

environmental design measures - rozwiązania w zakresie projektowania przestrzeni z myślą o środowisku

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For decades, municipalities have invested in anti-littering campaigns, public education, street cleaning and environmental design measures intended to discourage littering.

Od dziesięcioleci samorządy inwestują w kampanie przeciw zaśmiecaniu, edukację publiczną, sprzątanie ulic oraz rozwiązania w zakresie projektowania przestrzeni, których celem jest zniechęcanie do zaśmiecania.

Why, then, is there not more litter on the streets? Yoshida warns against explaining Japan’s cleanlinessczystość as the product ofrezultat an especially strong Japanese sense of tidiness. Rather, she stresses, it also reflectsjest odzwierciedleniem decades of deliberate policymakingkształtowanie polityki. Local authoritieswładze lokalne have long invested in anti-litter campaigns, public education, street cleaning, and urban design measures intended to deterzniechęcać people from dropping rubbish, she says.

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But social normsnormy społeczne matter too, she says. One is meiwaku o kakenainie sprawiać innym kłopotu – the idea of avoiding causing inconvenienceniedogodność to others. Everyday habits also play a partodgrywać rolę: eating on the gow biegu is relatively uncommon, so people tend to generatewytwarzać less rubbish while they're out.

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She says that social rules are important too. One rule is meiwaku o kakenai, which means trying not to bother other people. Daily habits matter as well. People do not often eat while walking or traveling, so they make less rubbish when they are out.

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She adds that social norms also play a role. One example is meiwaku o kakenai—the principle of avoiding causing inconvenienceniedogodność to others. Everyday routines contributeprzyczyniać się as well: because eating on the gow drodze; poza domem is relatively uncommon, people tend to produce less rubbishśmieci while away from home.

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"Thinking about my own daily living patterns, I'm not sure how much trash is generated in transitw drodze, from home to work and back," Siniawer says. "There's also less opportunitymożliwość to generatewytwarzać trash in transitw drodze… since it's unusual to eat while walking or riding on a train in Japan."

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“Reflectingzastanawiając się on my own daily routine, I’m unsure how much waste is produced during the commutedojazd do pracy to and from workdo pracy i z pracy,” Siniawer says. “There are also fewer opportunities to generate rubbish while travelling, since eating on footpieszo or aboardna pokładzie a train is uncommon in Japan.”

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“When I think about my own daily routine, I’m not sure how much rubbishśmieci people make on the way to and from work,” Siniawer says. “People also have fewer chances to make rubbishśmieci while travelling, because in Japan it’s not common to eat while walking or on a train.”

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Visitors, by contrastnatomiast, experience the city differently: they spend long days sightseeing and purchasingkupując drinks and convenience-store snacks, making them much more likely to end upskończyć na tym, że carrying their rubbishśmieci with no obvious place to dispose ofpozbyć się it.

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Visitors, of course, experience the city differently. They spend long days sightseeingzwiedzanie, buying drinks and convenience store snacks – and are far more likely to find themselves carrying rubbish around with nowhere obvious to put it.

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Visitors experience the city in a different way. They spend many hours seeing the sightszwiedzanie atrakcji and buying drinks and snacks from convenience storessklepy typu convenience store. So they are more likely to carry their rubbishśmieci around and have no clear place to put it.

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The lack of readily available bins can be both confusing and frustrating for tourists at first, says Japan-based tour guide Junko Yokoo. But many quickly adapt. "At first, my guests often mournubolewać nad the lack of available trash bins, but they also enjoy seeing no trash on the streets and learn to embraceprzyjąć, zaakceptować a 'when in Tokyo' mentalitysposób myślenia," she says.

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Japan-based tour guide Junko Yokoo says the scarcityniedobór of conveniently located rubbish bins can initially bewilderwprawiać w zakłopotanie and frustrate tourists, although many soon adjust. “At first, my guests often lamentubolewać nad the lack of bins, but they also appreciate the litter-freewolny od śmieci streets and gradually adopt a ‘when in Tokyokiedy jest się w Tokio, warto dostosować się do miejscowych zwyczajów’ mindsetnastawienie,” she explains.

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Japan-based tour guide Junko Yokoo says that tourists can feel confused and annoyedpoirytowani at first because there are not many bins nearby. But many soon get used to itprzyzwyczaić się do tego. “At first, my guests often miss having rubbish bins, but they also like seeing clean streets and learn to accept the ‘when in Tokyo’ way of thinking,” she says.

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Despite what visitors might think, rubbish bins haven't disappeared entirely – you just have to know where to find them, adds Siniawer. "Train stations still have them, often in the form of transparent receptaclespojemniki positioned near ticket gatesbramki biletowe where they can be monitorednadzorowane by staff or security cameras.

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Siniawer notes that, contrary towbrew what visitors might assume, rubbish bins have not vanishedzniknęły altogethercałkowicie; people simply need to know where to find them. “Train stations still provide bins, often as transparent receptaclespojemniki placed near ticket gates so that staff or security cameras can monitorobserwować them.”

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Siniawer adds that rubbish bins have not completely disappeared, despite what visitors may think. You just need to know where to look. “Train stations still have bins. They are often clear containers near ticket gatesbramki biletowe, where staff or security cameras can watch them.”

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And just this month, Tokyo's Shinjuku Station began pilotingtestując perhaps the most Japanese solution of all: roamingjeżdżące rubbish-bin robotsroboty-kosze na śmieci that travel around collecting litterśmieci.

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Earlier this month, Tokyo's Shinjuku Station began triallingtestując what may be the most distinctlywyraźnie; typowo Japanese solution: mobile rubbish-bin robotsroboty będące koszami na śmieci that roamkrążyć the station collecting litter.

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This month, Shinjuku Station in Tokyo started testing rubbish-bin robots. They move around and collect rubbish.

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Until such robots become commonplacepowszechny, visitors may have to follow the long-standing practicepraktyka stosowana od dawna of Tokyo residents and hold on tozatrzymać przy sobie their rubbish until they find a suitable place to dispose ofpozbyć się it.

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Until they become the norm, visitors may simply have to do what Tokyoitesmieszkańcy Tokio have long done: hang on tozatrzymać przy sobie their rubbish until they find somewhere to put it.

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Until these robots are common, visitors may need to do what people in Tokyo have done for a long time: keep their rubbishśmieci until they find a bin.

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