Trash Is Responsibility. So Is Ownership.

Into The Japanese Mind  by Sio

I once thought I had escaped materialism after I backpacked across half the globe.

Before I moved to Japan, clearing out my 3-bed flat in Macau shocked me with so many unused goods I didn’t even remember buying.

In Osaka, I moved into a 20m² flat with just one suitcase. Shopping became cautious. Every item takes up room.

Spent a week deciding on a foldable table. Measured bins again and again. Held a bath mat for way too long, then put it back, because the old one still works.

At first, it was just about space.

Then it became the burden of throwing it away.

In Japan, trash means responsibility.

Disposing big trash means calling, labeling, lifting, lots of works. An impossible mission for me since I don’t speak the language.

Japan kids learn to sort trash early. Trash isn’t just waste, it’s duty, training and discipline.

This system builds a second nature. Restraint is also trained, not from a lack of desire, but from learning to weigh the cost.

Because to own is to take responsibility.

Ironically, Japan is full of temptations. Choosing simplicity here is an ascetic practice.

From a backpack, to a house, back to one suitcase, I finally saw how little I really need.

When everything’s within reach, we forget what we truly need. The more we hold on, the more we’re held back.

Owning isn’t freedom. Real freedom is being able to pause, before wanting, before buying, and still stay clear.

Sio

Resetting life in Osaka after years in the UK, France, Spain, Canada & Argentina. Seeing people and cultures from many sides.

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