A series of interviews conducted by Future Design Shibuya interns. This time, in order to make Shibuya Ward a safe and secure city, we collaborate with various stakeholders and work on activities to solve social issues such as nuisance street drinking, street smoking, and littering throughout the year. Shibuya Good Manners Project This is a report on the morning trash picking activity in Shibuya Center Gai, which is part of the ``Activities.''
*The following article was created by the intern student himself.
Do you usually go to Center Gai?
I go to university in Shibuya, so I visit there often. Center Gai is a very attractive shopping street that symbolizes Japan and is popular among foreign tourists, with many delicious restaurants and trendy shops.
One of the problems that has long been seen in Center Gai is the problem of littering. It's sad, but some people may have the impression that Center Street = dirty.
Therefore, the "Shibuya Good Manners Project" was born as part of efforts to strengthen activities aimed at creating a safe and secure city.
Future Design Shibuya (FDS) was launched in response to Shibuya Ward's declaration of zero nuisance street drinking.
With the desire to collaborate not only with FDS members but also with member companies and local people, we have expanded the scope of our activities since our inauguration in September 2023 to the present. One such activity is cleaning the roads and sidewalks of Shibuya Center Gai. With the cooperation of Shibutena Clean, this event was held the day before Halloween. After that, it will be held on the 1st and 3rd Monday morning of each month.
This time, we would like to introduce you to the trash pickup in Center Gai that was held on December 18, 2023, as well as interviews with the participants!
“Shibuya Good Manners Project” Center Street trash pickup activity
▼Date and time
1st and 3rd Monday of the month 8:15-9:30am
▼Location
Shibuya Center Gai (meet in front of Crank Street Warehouse)
8:15Meet & meet
We will meet in front of Crank Street, which is inside the alley of Center Gai.
Those who participated on this day were
・Adastria Co., Ltd.
・Tokyo Football Club Co., Ltd. (FC Tokyo)
・Shibuya Redevelopment Association
More than 25 people (!) from various countries are cooperating with us.
After a simple check of the area to be cleaned, you will be provided with garbage bags, work gloves, and tongs for picking up garbage.
8:30 Start picking up trash
Everyone move to the Center Street entrance (next to TSUTAYA) and start from there! I will proceed through Center Street while picking up trash.
The most common thing I saw were cigarette butts. Smoking on the street should be prohibited in the first place, but why are there so many people smoking it?
There was also a lot of food trash, including empty alcohol cans and cup noodles. Some of the garbage was half-eaten, and as a novice at picking up trash, I had some trouble disposing of it, but the experienced people helped me out.
9:30 Cleaning finished
We collected over 20 bags of trash in one hour!
Carefully separate the waste by removing the caps from plastic bottles, separating cans and bottles, and then putting them in bags. Shibutena Clean will dispose of the collected garbage. I realized that this activity is possible because there are people who work hard to deal with problems that cannot be solved by volunteers alone.
We spoke to everyone who is cooperating with our activities.
Shibutena Clean Matsumoto-san
Shibutena Clean receives a request from the Shibuya Center Shopping District Promotion Association and spends two hours every morning cleaning the area. The amount of garbage is highest on Sunday, followed by Saturday and then Monday, so Sunday mornings are often very stressful. However, we have volunteers on Saturdays and Mondays, which is helpful.
Adastria Higane-san / Saito-san
Mr. Higane
I had heard that an acquaintance was participating in this activity, so I decided to participate through an introduction. When I participated, I was surprised to find that there was more trash than I expected. There were especially a lot of cigarette butts. When I was picking up trash, I was happy to hear people thanking me for their work, so I hope more people will participate in this activity in the future.
Mr. Saito
I was also introduced to Higane by a friend of mine. My impression after actually picking up trash is that no matter how many times I pick it up, trash keeps coming out. However, I found it to be better than I expected as it became a morning exercise. I would like to increase the number of participants through activities such as calling on people around me.
FC Tokyo Hirose-san
I originally started participating in club cleaning activities as part of social cooperation, so when I saw this recruitment, I had no hesitation in applying.
My impression after participating was that I was reminded that it is sad but real that there is so much garbage on the roads that I often take. But it's worth picking it up, and it feels good to see it become beautiful. I think that picking up trash means picking up luck. So, I would be happy if everyone could participate and try their luck.
~After picking up trash~
Since it was a Monday morning, I thought there would be less trash than usual, but when I looked for it, I found it one after another, and a lot of trash was collected.
In particular, there were many cup noodles and fast food wrappers in blind spots, such as behind signboards and gaps between buildings, and it was obvious that they had been left there on purpose, which made me sad.
In the first place, I thought it would be great if everyone could remember the obvious behavior of disposing of the trash they themselves put out, even when they are excited or drunk.
After picking up trash, everyone went to work. I went to university, and since I was able to exercise in the morning, I felt like I was able to concentrate more in class that day than usual.
The Shibuya Good Manners Project will continue in the future!
We also pick up trash in Center Street twice a month, starting at 8:30 a.m. on the first and third Mondays of the month.
Next time will be on Monday, February 5th from 8:15am!
Please join us before work or school!
Thank you everyone for your hard work!
