US Vs. Japan [Garbage]

ゴミバコがどこにある？（gomibako ga doko ni aru?)  = Where is the garbage[box]?

In Japan, this phrase might be just as important as "¿donde esta la biblioteca?". If there's one thing that surprises Americans almost as much as "squatty toilets" and bone crushing crowded trains is the lack of garbage cans in the public space, but you wouldn't know it. Not that Japan is 100% liter free, because believe me I've seen my share of graffiti and garbage, but compared to the gritty action packed streets of NYC, the busy streets of Tokyo, Harajuku, Shibuya, etc. aren't much dirtier than a baby's bottom.

So why would this be the case?

If there's one thing I learned from Japan was self discipline (in areas of my life that I didn't expect).  This discipline is reinforced by a culture that looks down upon those who do the "wrong" thing. To a New Yorker it might seem odd that such a simple idea could affect the Japanese to such an extent, but it's a part of the culture that starts a very young age.

So why am I talking about this?

Metropolis is an the #1 English magazine in Japan and from time to time I read some of the articles.  Jesse Veverka's article about the lack of trash cans in Japan and his theory and opinions on the subject really got me thinking about my experience and what I had learned. // Sure the Japanese produce waste in ways that we might find absurd like: having every single cracker or cookie in a box wrapped or packaged on its own, but one thing I found both stressful ( at least in the beginning ) and amazing is that every single piece of waste in Japan, every wrapper, bottle, box has it's respective disposal symbol on it. And you can find these here in America on your H&M accessory tags (プラ、紙、etc) because yes, there's an H&M in Japan :D

 Check this out. Behind the compacted version of the water bottle it says,

"Delicious + Good for the environment. [It] becomes small like this".

So what do you think? Are more trash cans in the streets of Japan really the solution? 

( I didn't fall off the face of the earth so expect a Tenoli Tuesday post next week! :3 )