Clean Tokyo Was Not Built in a Day

 Children cleaning the streets of Ginza (1954) ©Tokyo Metropolitan Government
 

Visitors to Tokyo often praise how clean the city is and wonder what the secret recipe is. Some attribute it to Zen influence. Or a common explanation goes that the neat state reflects the “high morale” of the Japanese people. Though the narrative is flattering, the reality is more layered. Tokyo has not always been so clean—in the mid-twentieth century, it was quite a squalid place. 

The current state is the result of a long historical process, with shifts in urban infrastructure, public policy, and civic expectations gradually reshaping everyday behavior. Rather than a timeless national trait, it is the product of urban evolution. 

Pre-1950s: Littering as “Normal”

Around the early 1950s, Tokyo was struggling with filthy conditions. Household garbage often lay uncollected on roads, and rivers were choked with trash. Public spaces were rife with litter, since people casually tossed tangerine rinds and wrappers even when a wastebasket was nearby. Combined with limited public hygiene infrastructure, many parts of the city were foul-smelling and polluted. 
 

Garbage collection by carts ©Tokyo Metropolitan Government

 A woman throws household garbage into the river (Educational slide “Kiyoshi Goes Around the City”) ©Tokyo Metropolitan Archives

Littering was widespread on public transportation, too. Bento boxes were often tossed out of train windows, like in a scene from the novel Sanshiro by Natsume Soseki. But the custom became lethal with earthenware kamameshi bowls and teapots flying out from speeding trains, and passengers were advised to leave trash under their seats.

Litter scattered inside a train (Educational slide “Kiyoshi Goes Around the City”) ©Tokyo Metropolitan Archives

At the time, infrastructure had yet to be restored from wartime destruction. Meanwhile, the city experienced a boost in population and industries, outpacing waste management capacity. 

1954: Tokyo’s First Major Clean-Up Campaign

By the mid-1950s, Tokyo’s leaders began to see litter and filth as a barrier to the city’s progress and image. 

In his 1954 New Year’s address, Tokyo Governor Yasui Seiichiro stated, “Now that our basic needs for food and clothing are met, I want to work on improving courtesy, in particular, civic-mindedness” so that “we can, without spending a great deal of money, create a clean, quiet, and livable metropolis on par with the world’s major cities.” 

The same year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) launched the “Keep the City Clean” initiative. This program aimed to foster public morality and encourage simple acts like not littering, keeping sidewalks clear, and sweeping around homes. 

The TMG asked various entities for cooperation, such as requesting the Ministry of Transport to either ban or impose strict restrictions on airplanes scattering advertising flyers.

The one-year beautification campaign had limited immediate effect—resources were scant and waste services still played catch-up—but it was significant as an early official attempt to change citizens’ attitudes through public appeals. It also established an organizational template for future beautification movements by involving media, schools, community groups, and metropolitan agencies united under a common goal.  

A littered concert venue (Educational slide “Kiyoshi Goes Around the City”) ©Tokyo Metropolitan Archives

Litter left behind after sports day (Educational slide “Kiyoshi Goes Around the City”) ©Tokyo Metropolitan Archives

A Turning Point: 1962-1964 Olympic Beautification Drive

A major cultural shift began in the early 1960s, driven by Tokyo’s preparations to host the 1964 Olympics. City leaders launched the “Capital Beautification Movement” in 1962 with the rallying cry “Foreigners are coming—Tokyo must not embarrass Japan.” Cleaning the city was framed as important as any Olympic event, spurring massive clean-up drives and public etiquette campaigns. 

Early-morning cleanup ©Tokyo Metropolitan Government

The TMG also ramped up regular waste collection during this period. Modern plastic garbage bins with lids were adopted to replace wooden or concrete crates, reducing spillage, stench, and flies from garbage.

Signs and public messages urged no littering, no spitting, and proper trash disposal in public, appealing to the “shame” of a dirty city. At schools, moral education materials taught cleanliness and courtesy as national virtues. Volunteers across the metropolis participated in beautification events. 

The TMG continued the anti-litter efforts after the 1964 Tokyo Games until 1975, though progress was gradual in the era of rapid economic growth. 

1990s-Present: A “No Littering Society”

In 1995, the national government introduced the Recycling Act, encouraging the proper separation of cans, bottles, plastic containers, and paper packaging. People realized that instead of trash, these are resources that can be recycled. 

With the localization of garbage collection in 2000, responsibilities shifted to the special wards in Tokyo. But the TMG has continued support through infrastructure and policy updates. 

Today, households sort their waste and place it at their designated collection points on the scheduled collection day. These registered sites are exclusively for residents, so passersby adding their trash is a big no-no. Leaving a bag containing a mixture of cans, bottles, and burnable litter can especially be a nuisance, since unsorted garbage will not be collected. Neighborhoods keep a close eye on improper disposal to maintain a neat environment around their homes. 

Trash cans at railway stations were removed in the wake of the 1995 sarin subway terror attack, but returned a few years later. The mass elimination began in 2004 as an anti-terror measure following train bombings in Europe. Yet this “no trash can” policy did not lead to increased litter; by then, Tokyo’s public simply adapted by taking their litter home. 

Through these shifts in systems and mindsets, the streets of Tokyo have become notably immaculate in the last few decades. Having only seen this all their lives, young people take this for granted, while the older generation have mostly forgotten the not so clean past.

Tokyo’s experience shows how sustained policy commitment and cultural change can transform a city. Its clean streets reflect a shared social norm and civic pride that extends beyond national borders. 

Yet, with Tokyo becoming increasingly popular as a travel destination, some tourist spots and downtown areas are experiencing littering that affects the urban landscape. To tackle this issue, the TMG has launched the Keep Tokyo Clean initiative, encouraging proper separation and recycling, and asking people to take their trash home, while introducing smart trash cans.  

The effort to keep Tokyo clean continues, reminding us that even the most lasting social norms require ongoing care.
 

References:
Ono, Misato, “Tokyoto ni Okeru ‘Machi o Kirei ni Suru Undo’ (Showa 29-nen) ni Kansuru Kiso-teki Kosatsu” [A Basic Study of the ‘Keep the City Clean’ Movement in Tokyo (1954)], Tokyoto Kobunshokan Chosa Kenkyu Nenpo [Tokyo Metropolitan Archives Annual Research Report], Web Edition, no. 4. https://www.soumu.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/documents/d/soumu/2644_0609r_report04_01

Toki, Masakazu, “Tokyo Orinpikku to Nihonjin no Aidentiti: 1964-nen Tokyo Taikai to Shuto Bika Undo, Mana Kyanpen” [The Tokyo Olympics and Japanese Identity: The 1964 Tokyo Games, the Capital Beautification Movement, and Manners Campaign], Journal of Edogawa University, no. 28 (2018): 337-362

Kobayashi, Masahiro, “1964-nen Tokyo Orinpikku o Meguru Dotoku Kyoiku no Kadai to Sono Ronri: Kokumin-teki Kyoiku Undo ni Okeru Koshu Dotoku to ‘Nihonjin no Bitoku’” [Issues and Logic of Moral Education Surrounding the 1964 Tokyo Olympics: Public Morality and the ‘Virtues of the Japanese People’ in a National Educational Movement], July 2016

Okura, Yukihiro, Mukashi wa Yokatta to Iu Keredo: Senzen no Mana Moraru kara Kangaeru [People Say “Things Were Better in the Old Days”: Rethinking Prewar Manners and Morality], Tokyo: Shin Hyoron, 2013.

Sano, Shinsuke, “Ori-Para Konjaku Monogatari: Tokyo wa ‘Kusai Machi’ Datta” [Olympic and Paralympic Stories Then and Now: Tokyo Was Once a ‘Smelly City’], The Nippon Foundation Journal, November 30, 2020  https://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/journal/2020/51449

Tokyo Metropolitan Archives, Kiyoshi-chan Machi o Iku [Kiyoshi Goes Around the City]. Audiovisual educational materials for elementary and junior high school students, 1954.  https://dasasp03.i-repository.net/il/meta_pub/G0000002tokyoarchv16_0003723230001

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Archive Photo Collection  https://www.tosei-photo.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/