Japan has specific rules about what to do with trash and things you no longer want. You can’t just put everything in a big black trash bag and throw it out. Each town/area has its own specific rules, but they are generally similar.
For combustible/burnable trash, I buy these clear 20 liter bags at the grocery store. There are bigger bags available for families or people who have more burnable trash. The bags are not stretchable and feel more like paper than plastic. They are clear, so if you try to throw away cans or glass or other non-burnables, the trash collectors put a big yellow sticker on it with the reason checked for not picking up the trash bag.
In my neighborhood, trash is picked up on Mondays and Thursdays. I like to put my trash out every Monday so I can start the week with no trash, but there is no limit, as far as I know, as to how many bags a week you can put out. I think we are early on the pick up route, so trash has to be put out by 8:30 am. There are designated places in each neighborhood and sometimes crows peck the bags and make a mess.
There are recycling corners around town. This is the one closest to where I live, about a 10 minute walk.
The box above is for cardboard and I think it gets picked up every day or two, maybe due to Amazon delivery boxes.
This one is for non-newspaper, paper items including books and magazines.
This one is for newspaper.
Aluminum cans go in this one.
View of one side of the recycle corner.
The box above is for old clothes.
Most grocery stores have a set up like this for all kinds of food packaging, like clear plastic boxes that prepared foods come in, styrofoam trays that fish and meat come on, milk cartons, aluminum cans, pet bottles, etc.
Vending machines for drinks in plastic bottles or cans are everywhere in Japan, and usually there is a place next to the machine for empty drink containers.
Once a month, there is a collection and pickup in each neighborhood for all kinds of glass (sorted by color), for aluminum and steel cans, for aerosol spray cans, for PET bottles, batteries and maybe other stuff. The collection place for me is at the entrance to the park behind my apartment, so I can look out my balcony door and see when to take my recycle out. It starts late afternoon and goes through mid morning the next day. I see all my neighbors there because everyone has stuff to take out.
If you have something big like a bicycle or a piece of furniture or some kind of appliance or electric gadget, you can call the city and they will pick it up. I’ve never done it, but I sometimes see stuff waiting to be picked up. The end of March/beginning of April is moving season in Japan, so there is usually a lot of stuff sitting out waiting for pickup then.
Japan is very clean and organized. The trash and recycle system is one reason.
This festival is held November 3, 4, and 5 at Sengen Taisha Shrine in Fujinomiya every year. I have attended several times before and it is always fabulous. There are 20 heavy carved wooden carts that are pushed and pulled along the streets around the Shrine area. Each cart has a team of people of all ages, wearing colorful Japanese costumes. The riders on the carts are musicians playing drums, flutes, and bells.
The festival goes on into the night, so the lanterns are needed.
The wood poles are used as brakes and for turning. They get chewed up pretty fast, so each cart needs many poles
The streets are narrow and the wooden carts heavy, so the drivers and team members have to be very careful.
Mt. Fuji watches over the festival.
This piece of wood on wheels gets slid under the cart to make the cart turn.
Even the littlest team members help with the cart pulling.
The wooden carvings are gorgeous.
As evening arrived, big statue things popped up on top of the carts.
As it got dark, the group members of each cart did dances together.
The shrine grounds were full of vendor tents, selling food and drink, as well as children's games and crafts.
After the dances, there are competitions between two carts, moving closer, then away, with the musicians playing.
These men on the side are the judges, with the head judge on the little step.
The carts get so close, a paper couldn’t fit between them.
They back apart, then do it again.
They back apart again, then one cart/team is declared the winner, and they drink some tiny square wooden cups of sake.
The drink is followed by a traditional clap (it is like three triple claps, then a single clap).
Everyone shakes hands and moves on.
The moon was full, but the sky was cloudy.
It was getting late, so I headed for the train station. I couldn’t help noticing what a good time everyone was having.
