OSAKA - Osaka’s Minami district, one of the busiest entertainment areas in Kansai, is grappling with a worsening garbage problem as the sharp increase in foreign visitors coincides with a rise in litter throughout the area, and when the reporting team walked through the neighborhood last week they found trash piling up in abandoned bicycle baskets and food containers tossed into alleyways just off the main shopping streets.
A tourist walking near Dotonbori said they struggled to find a place to throw things away, while a visitor from Thailand noted that the district has far fewer trash bins than cities back home. According to the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau, an estimated 14.53 million foreign tourists visited Osaka from January to October this year, marking a record high for the period.
Taniuchi, the secretary general of the Dotonbori Shopping District Association, said the amount of trash has grown even faster than the crowd size, commenting that while foot traffic is up by around 30%, litter has increased by about 50%. Public trash cans were removed from sidewalks across Osaka roughly 20 years ago due to security concerns and to prevent illegal dumping of household waste, and although the shopping district asked the city for permission to reinstall them, approval was not granted.
In 2023, the city finally allowed the installation of ten high-tech trash bins that automatically compress waste, but managing and collecting trash from these units costs roughly 1 million yen per month — a burden entirely shouldered by the shopping district. Osaka City has also begun monthly cleanups around Dotonbori this year, but the growing volume of waste has made these efforts feel like “a drop in the bucket.”
On December 5th, the city launched a new initiative: the “Gomi Zero Cart,” a mobile trash-collection cart funded at about 2.3 million yen. Staff members patrol Dotonbori during crowded weekend and holiday hours, calling out to visitors and collecting cans, bottles, and other waste directly from tourists. Soon after the rollout, an American visitor handed over trash and said they would like to see more bins in the area because they do not want to litter in Japan, calling the initiative a positive step.
Osaka Mayor Yokoyama said the garbage issue spans multiple city departments and stressed the need for the entire municipal government to work together to improve conditions in Minami. With both the city and local businesses searching for solutions, the district now faces the challenge of whether it can restore cleanliness ahead of future tourism demand, and sustained efforts will be necessary to address the long-standing problem.
Source: YOMIURI
