I’ve just returned from two weeks travelling across Japan. It’s been a country on my bucket list for quite some time and after reading about their blossom season I decided it had to be my next holiday destination.
Despite being in a daze from the incredibly long flight, it doesn’t take long to notice that everything in Japan is shiny. For starters, not only do the public toilets have 4 ways to spray water to clean your bottom, they also have trays that fold down for you to stand on to get changed. Then there’s the fact that you take off your shoes before entering a building or that you can buy ‘toilet slippers’ at many market stalls.
You also quite quickly notice that there aren’t many bins in public. It turns out the Japanese don’t expect others to look after their waste but instead they’ve been brought up to believe that you look after your rubbish and take it home with you. On my first bullet train journey I bought a snack from the ‘trolley lady’ and was handed a small white carrier bag for me to put my rubbish into. There was also the one morning where I took my coffee cup on the subway to have on the go – I soon felt like I was doing something wrong – no one drinks or eats on the subway.
Then there are the taxi drivers who all wear pristine white gloves and many of the taxis are decorated inside with white lace. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are messy parts of the cities but as a tourist you are blown away with the efficiency, politeness and cleanliness.
There’s definitely an idea that clean is good in Japanese culture. It probably comes from their Buddhist culture. There’s a sense of shared responsibility and pride in what you do. It has certainly made me stop and think about having more pride in what I do. From the everyday things like seeing a Metro lying around on the Tube to approaching my next meeting in a rush. If you consciously bake in a bit more pride or have it as your starting point or your spring in your step it’s amazing how you start to see things differently. So for now that’s my new mantra!
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