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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You may have seen my Instagram post where I talk about shoe etiquette in Japan. Yes, it’s in my lease to take shoes off in the house. This culture of 土足禁止 (どそくきんし, dosoku kinshi, “shoes prohibited” straight and to the point!) isn’t just limited to residences though. So when do you take shoes off in Japan?

Where does this custom come from?

There are many benefits to take off your shoes in Japan, one of course, is it is more sanitary. Especially in Japan where furniture is more of a modern commodity and people literally lived on the floor (they still do, even all of my living room furniture is set on the floor. All Japanese rooms can be multifunctional and you lay your futon directly on the floor. Not somewhere you want a ton of mud and water from the outside to be!

Clues you should take shoes off in Japan

There are three things you should by on the look out for.

1) 玄関, genkan, Japanese Entryways

If you’ve been lucky enough to see some older buildings in Japan, like any of the original castles or of some older farm houses, you’ll have noticed that the house is raised. This was to help with ventilation, as Japan is a very humid country. Generally, there was a dirt (or stone if you were richer) entrance way and then you stepped into the house proper. This construction remains today, even in apartments. It’s similar to a mud room you would see in Western construction.

The kanji for 玄関 genkan can mean “deep” and “gateway” but I’m not 100% on the origin of why it’s these two.

The tile or concrete floor of the genkan has it’s own name too, tataki (三和土). Nothing special there, it just means hard packed floor. Again, the Japanese is old so the kanji don’t necessarily translate (three – Japanese – soil?).

2) 下駄箱, getabako, the shoe cupboard

Along with an ofuro (Japanese style tub/shower arrangement), a getabako (下駄箱) is now a MUST in my life. This is a shoe cupboard, usually situated in the genkan itself, but in smaller apartments can be next to it. In establishments that require you to take off your shoes, these are sometimes lockers but can just be cubbies. In houses, they are generally more like built in cabinets.

The word getabako is from 下駄, Japanese clog, and 箱, box. HA, see, sometimes Japanese is very literal (most of the time)!

3) 上履き, Uwabaki, Slippers

Uwabaki (上履き) can be read as “above” “shoes”, which harkens back to when houses were raised, in my opinion. If you go somewhere that requires you to take off your shoes, usually you will be provided a pair of slippers to wear so you aren’t barefoot or just in your socks.

So where do I take shoes off in Japan?!

Anywhere that has tatami, you will take off your shoes. Also, if there are wooden floors, generally you will as well. If you walk in and there is a genkan, you can bet you’ll be removing your shoes!

Japanese houses

If you are invited into someone’s house, you will be required to take off shoes in Japan. Usually you’ll be given slippers to wear. Oh, a note on that, there are also bathroom slippers! So if you need to use the facilities, make sure not to take your house slippers into the toilet room, for obvious reasons. If there is tatami anywhere, take your slippers off, just socks or barefeet in tatami mats! (Less damage, they are fragile).

Schools

All Japanese schools, from pre-school to high school (not normally colleges), the students have “indoor shoes”, normally with tight regulations. I.e. they must be completely white. At the entrance, there is a genkan with assigned shoe lockers for each student. Each day they trade out their outdoor shoes with their slippers before heading to class.

If you take a cooking class in Japan, often times they will be at community centers with similar “rules”. There might just be a color change for the genkan in that case, look out for a shoe box with slippers!

Restaurants and Izakaya

Same thing applies, if there is tatami, take your shoes off. The tatami area most likely will be raised. And it’s tatami, so no slippers. The actual name for this is 座敷, zashiki, and just means tatami room. The first kanji just means “seat” where as the second is a sort of counter for how many tatami a room has. You will even see this at ski areas in the food areas! I always thought that was just cruel with boots but the raised area at least makes it easier to sit and get your boots off!

If you are lucky, the tatami area of the restaurant will have 掘りごたつ, horigotatsu. This is a sunken-kotatsu. Meaning that there is a hole under the kotatsu table for your legs to go in. So it’s like you are in a traditional room but in a seat!

Tatami isn’t the only give away. Older building with wood? Look out for slippers and a genkan!

旅館 Ryokan and Old Shops

General rule of thumb: If it’s old, shoes off! Staying at a ryokan (旅館, Japanese-style hotel)? Shoes off! Remember, it’s authentic Japan, so the old ways stay! Getting a kimono in a traditional shop? Off! Again, just notice if there is a spot to “step up” into the store and that is your clue in to take your shoes off! There will always be slippers in this case to wear when you walk around the common areas. And just to make it more complicated, when you step up AGAIN into an area of tatami (like your room), take the slippers off.

If you need to use the restroom, there will be slippers you can use so you don’t have to put your real shoes back on.

温泉 Onsen or 銭湯 Sento

When you go to use a public bath, you’ll either take your shoes off right when you get there or once you enter the changing area. Granted, that won’t be the only thing you take off ;). You sometimes will be given slippers to walk around the public areas with, look for a shoe box once you get to the changing room in this case.

Private rooms sometimes will have tatami changing areas so be sure to take your slippers off before stepping on them.

So in summary, when to take your shoes off in Japan…

The two things you need to worry about. If there is a raised area when you enter, take your shoes off and go barefoot or put on provided slippers. Slippers waiting for you? Wear them. If you come across tatami, wear only socks or bare feet!

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