To be so impressed about how clean Tokyo (Japan)

[Travelfun]

First time in Tokyo and I am so impressed at how clean and organised it is. It is a pleasure to go out, I thought I was going to find a busy, chaotic city.

I live in London and can’t wait to head home when I go into town. I wish we could keep London and other British cities this clean.I think we got lots to learn from the Japanese.

Why can we achieve this cleanliness in London?

Crap wages

It's a lot cleaner than it used to be 20 30 years ago

I was impressed by how clean the streets of Tokyo were when I visited many moons ago. I saw cleaners cleaning already clean streets every morning. The cleanliness in Japan comes along with other cultural things like Japanese people wearing face masks way before Covid. Not sure the UK would be the same country with that level of cleanliness. We are more comfortable with a bit of dirt here and there, people throwing up in the streets on a night out and all that.

It’s a society of respect

I just wish we could achieve some of it. There are so much littering, so many people who don’t respect or care for others. Leaving rubbish, dog poop, wee on the streets, etc

Also, people look clean, trains don’t smell

Uk has crap wages too?

I worked for a Japanese owned company. They have a very different culture, very respectful of each other etc it's completely different.

They get taught in a different way, the culture is different. Children in school help clean the school and people don’t look down on people for having cleaning jobs. Our country used to be cleaner (where I am) but littering has definitely come back. They should bring back the keep Britain tidy campaign.

I’ve been struck lately by how much litter is just everywhere in the U.K. at the moment. I don’t remember there ever being so much litter lining all the roadsides, even country roads, litter blown into the fields that are growing our food. I can’t understand what’s making so many people not care anymore. It’s depressing.

Very respectful culture, I notice on the trains, no staring at other people, unlike the U.K. no loud talking, no phones in use. Makes journeying enjoyable. They dress really well. It’s an advanced nation miles ahead of the U.K.

Their culture is totally different and they are taught to respect others and the environment from young. You hardly see public trash bins there and the average Japanese would keep his rubbish on him and bring it home to dispose. Whereas I think the average school boy from my neighbourhood wouldn't struggle to make the decision to litter.

@loriXc not long back from Singapore after not being there for about 14 years, its defiantly not as spick and span as it used to be, of course still clean in most places but just not as well kept as before (esp in some areas to me have deteriorated more) .

First visit to Tokyo around 22 years ago then back forth (and a short time living in Japan) it was not as clean as it is now, but move out the citys, you will see litter and not so clean areas, but that goes for many places.

It is truly amazing really. I am so impressed.

I think part of the problem in the UK and many other countries is lack of education from an early age

When I read the title of your post OP, I couldn't stop grinning at a memory I had of our trip to Tokyo, several years ago.
We did a group walking tour of part of the city, and happened upon a wedding party having their photographs taken. We paused for a while watching this, and the guests started to throw confetti over the bride & groom (all quite normal of course!).
What wasn't normal, was the woman standing directly behind the bride & groom very busily brushing up the confetti, whilst the photographer clicked away on his camera - quite clearly taking photos of the happy couple 😁! Nobody in the wedding party seemed remotely perturbed by her presence/actions. We knew Japan was famed for it's cleanliness, but at least she could have waited a few minutes for the photographer to to take the picture!
The bride & groom will have some beautiful photos for their album I'm sure - as long as they don't mind a woman with a brush lurking behind them...... I wonder if the photographer was able to 'remove' her using Photoshop? 🤣

Yes, I have noticed the difference too. It is so much dirty thank it used to be

I don't think it's a lack of education, it's just people don't give a shit about anyone else and aren't willing to go out of their way for anything or anyone. It's definitely becoming worse

U.K. is a filthy embarrassment .

DS returned from Monaco ( mum has a house nearby) and said it’s so clean compared to dirty UK
We need to wash the streets down.

We are an overcrowded mess here.

U.K. has such boorish behaviour.
It’s depressing.

Because in the UK there are such massive levels of entitlement, anti-social behaviour and generally not giving a flying fuck about anything or anyone, which is diametrically opposed to Japanese sensibilities.

There, the concept of being a member of society is hard-wired into the culture and education, and people act out of concern for the greater good rather than their own blind selfishness - including helping others and keeping all public spaces clean and tidy for the next person. Everywhere is spotless - no litter, virtually no graffiti - and public transport is thoroughly cleaned every day. If you drop a wallet full of cards and money anywhere, there’s a very high chance it’ll be handed in.

People are under different pressures there, and it’s by no means perfect (having a conformist, perfectionist and shame-driven culture is problematic in many ways), but god it’s so lovely to move around in such a safe, clean, kind, respectful environment.

When I came back after travelling around Japan I felt profoundly depressed at the filth and general grimness of the UK - first morning back here there was some scrotty ratboy drinking lager on the train with his feet on the seat in front and cans rolling up and down the aisle, giving everyone a slice of eye in case they asked him to move. This place is often an utter shithole unfortunately.

It’s an amazing place. Slightly off topic but this thread has made me think of the Japanese film Perfect Days about the guy who cleans toilets and takes such pride in it!

Totally agreed. Tokyo (at least the centre) is spotless.
And the Shinkansen is amazing.
The whole place feels like the future we hope for. Amazing place and people.

They keep themselves really clean aswel shiny hair immaculate skin!

I don’t think I have misremembered this but after one of the Football world cups/Euros matches, the Japanese fans stayed behind and cleared the rubbish from the stands