Americans Think Their Trash Don’t Stink!

It’s another quiet day at my Japanese junior high school. I shuffle in at 8.15 as usual, flipping open my notebook and with a 45 degree angled bow, solemnly mumble a respectful “Ohio Gozaimasu” (good morning) to my coworkers. The traditional checking of email and thumbing through freshly posted facebook photos is suddenly interrupted by an earthquake of Japanese teacher frenzy over my desk… okay, STOP MOM, earthquake is just a metaphor, there wasn’t actually an earthquake so don’t call the embassy, I’m okay, just keep reading… Anyway, out of the crowd steps forward a lone English speaker; one of those who are in charge of helping me adjust to the challenges of working in Japan.

“John sensei,” he nervously stutters, “so, you have brought food to the school. This is okay. But please, do not throw the food wrappers in the trash bin next to your desk. I will show you where it goes.”

At his request, I rise and follow my teacher to the other side of the teacher’s room, through a hallway, across the copy room floor, through another hallway, and finally to another smaller cabinet-sized room to the left. Had he blind-folded me, I might have thought I was being taken to some secret Free Mason ceremony. At this point, he shows me a trash bin and says, “Please place your food wrappers here.”

A bit embarrassed in the face of the hoopla I caused over this trash incident, I shyly nod and promise to use only this bin from now on for my food. It is at that moment that my dear teacher adds a slightly more disconcerting statement: “In Japan, food left in the trash will stink.”

My first reaction to his words is one of frustration and disbelief. Linking the obvious notion of trash stinking with the idea that as a foreigner, I am probably not aware of this fact? That’s prejudiced and even downright racist! The cynical expat awakens inside me: “Oh you know, because in America, the trash smells like roses. In fact, we decorate our houses with old half eaten cupcakes and cartons of sour milk to save money on air freshener and incense.” But what really motivated my supervisor to choose passing on this advice to me in such a seemingly condescending manner?

In Japan, recycling and separation of garbage are policies held on a level almost equal to that of a religious belief, taking “cleanliness is godliness” to a whole new stratosphere. To offend such a firmly established institution in Japan even out of sheer ignorance is likely akin to not washing your hands after going to the bathroom. One would certainly be uncomfortable trying to explain to a fellow colleague why pee on your hands is kind of gross.

Hence, the Japanese teacher is faced with a dilemma: how to state the obvious to me without insulting my intelligence. By rooting the problem in a fundamental difference between Japanese and American culture and tradition, the message is successfully relayed while at the same time diluted in its potency by the idea that such an incident was inevitable and that I am in fact the victim rather than the perpetrator. His solution, though perhaps misguided, highlights in fact a deep kindness and thoughtfulness on his part to save me from embarrassment. Such actions represent an ideal which is intricately sewn into the fabric of this society; the idea that criticism should be dealt out with delicacy and care for the individual in question. While a western view of such a philosophy might lead one to call such behavior passive-aggressive and underhanded, in the context of Japanese society, it is considered the proper way to act. For me personally, the trash incident was yet another warning about the importance of treading lightly in such a carefully constructed society.

Author’s note: While I do feel this particular case was an example of the aspect of Japanese culture which emphasizes courtesy, I do also concede that the Japanese tendency to distinguish itself from the rest of the world highlights a strong presence of nationalism, which I will discuss in late blogs.