Another adjustment has been Japan’s highly structured trash system. Back home, sorting was relatively simple: paper, plastic, garbage, and compost.
In Japan, it’s much more detailed. Waste is typically divided into categories like burnable, non-burnable, recyclable, and oversize items, each with its own collection schedule.
When I was in Tokyo, I could only put out certain types of garbage on specific days of the month, and only on the morning of pickup. Now that I’m in Osaka, my building is a bit more flexible — I can bring garbage downstairs to a designated area at any time, but the sorting rules still apply.
Even disposing of large items works differently. In Canada, I just left my old couch at the curb, and it was picked up without issue. In Japan, you need to buy a special sticker and register oversize items for pickup.
It took some getting used to, but it’s also very manageable. Plus, my apartments have had labeled bins with pictures, which makes it much easier to sort everything properly.
