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ごみを散らかさないで!
ふだんは穏やかな性格の筆者が、日本で生活していてどうしても許せないのが、公共の場でのごみのポイ捨て。日本のごみには特別な思い入れのある彼が、ごみをなくすために提案する方法とは…?
Litterbugs Bug Everyone!
By JOHN GATHRIGHT
I am generally an easygoing, people person and not many things really bother me. But one thing that gets my goat is litterbugs: people who litter.
When I first came to Japan I found the sheer numbers of litterbugs overwhelming and very shocking. The irony of the situation is that it was actually my love for Japanese garbage that brought me to Japan! I know you are thinking, "What? Love garbage? This guy is really weird!" but please, hear me out.
When I was a small boy I used to go down to the beach on Vancouver Island, in western Canada, with my grandfather. Every morning the tide would bring with it exotic garbage from all over the world. But out of all the Pacific Rim countries, Japanese garbage was by far the most interesting ― and plentiful.
Japanese sake bottles, wooden lunch boxes, glass floats; I even found an old wooden geta. Since its foot straps were nonexistent I mistook it for a bookend. When I later learned that it was really a Japanese shoe, I made a childhood vow and dreamed that one day I would visit the Country of Bookend Shoes. So in a way, Japanese litter changed the course of my life. Even though I cherish my childhood memories of collecting Japanese bottles, wooden geta and other intriguing treasures, I find nothing romantic about litter and the eyesore it makes of Japanese cities
In my hometown, there used to be a litterbug problem and the city decided to do something about it. There were signs all over the city that said "Please don't litter! We don't want to live in your Garbage Can." The city also tried providing a very large and brightly colored garbage can every couple of blocks. But the program that truly made a difference and transformed the city was the simplest and most cost-efficient of all.
It was the "Excuse me, I think you dropped this?" plan. The idea was that if someone in front of you dropped something, you would quickly pick it up, very nicely, hand it back to the person and say, "I'm sorry, but I think you dropped this." Ninety-nine percent of the time the person littering was not angry in the least with such a kind and simple reprimand. In fact, he was usually a little bit embarrassed and he would then be forced to think about his actions, about how it wasn't fair to litter in shared space.
Thanks to this cooperative program and all the people who took that simple action against littering, the city became virtually litter-free.
I think that the time is right for the same program to start in Japan. As a matter of fact, I have been doing this myself ever since I came to Japan. It doesn't matter how scary the person. With the help of a deep bow and a friendly smile as I give them their dropped item, I have not once encountered someone who reacted angrily with me. I have even made a few friends this way!
I am generally an easygoing, people person and not many things really bother me. But one thing that gets my goat is litterbugs: people who litter.
When I first came to Japan I found the sheer numbers of litterbugs overwhelming and very shocking. The irony of the situation is that it was actually my love for Japanese garbage that brought me to Japan! I know you are thinking, "What? Love garbage? This guy is really weird!" but please, hear me out.
When I was a small boy I used to go down to the beach on Vancouver Island, in western Canada, with my grandfather. Every morning the tide would bring with it exotic garbage from all over the world. But out of all the Pacific Rim countries, Japanese garbage was by far the most interesting ― and plentiful.
Japanese sake bottles, wooden lunch boxes, glass floats; I even found an old wooden geta. Since its foot straps were nonexistent I mistook it for a bookend. When I later learned that it was really a Japanese shoe, I made a childhood vow and dreamed that one day I would visit the Country of Bookend Shoes. So in a way, Japanese litter changed the course of my life. Even though I cherish my childhood memories of collecting Japanese bottles, wooden geta and other intriguing treasures, I find nothing romantic about litter and the eyesore it makes of Japanese cities
In my hometown, there used to be a litterbug problem and the city decided to do something about it. There were signs all over the city that said "Please don't litter! We don't want to live in your Garbage Can." The city also tried providing a very large and brightly colored garbage can every couple of blocks. But the program that truly made a difference and transformed the city was the simplest and most cost-efficient of all.
It was the "Excuse me, I think you dropped this?" plan. The idea was that if someone in front of you dropped something, you would quickly pick it up, very nicely, hand it back to the person and say, "I'm sorry, but I think you dropped this." Ninety-nine percent of the time the person littering was not angry in the least with such a kind and simple reprimand. In fact, he was usually a little bit embarrassed and he would then be forced to think about his actions, about how it wasn't fair to litter in shared space.
Thanks to this cooperative program and all the people who took that simple action against littering, the city became virtually litter-free.
I think that the time is right for the same program to start in Japan. As a matter of fact, I have been doing this myself ever since I came to Japan. It doesn't matter how scary the person. With the help of a deep bow and a friendly smile as I give them their dropped item, I have not once encountered someone who reacted angrily with me. I have even made a few friends this way!
Shukan ST: May 30, 1997
(C) All rights reserved
- easygoing
- 穏やかな
- people person
- 人と交流するのが好きな人
- bother 〜
- 〜 の気にさわる
- gets my goat
- 怒らせる
- litter
- ごみを散らかす。
- found 〜 overwhelming
- 〜 に圧倒された
- sheer numbers of 〜
- 〜 の数自体
- The irony of the situation is that 〜
- ここで皮肉なことは 〜 である
- my love for Japanese garbage
- 日本のごみに対する愛着
- weird
- 変な
- hear me out
- 話を終わりまで聞いてください
- Vancouver Island
- カナダのブリティッシュ・コロンビア州西海岸沖の島
- tide
- 潮
- exotic
- 異国風の
- Pacific Rim
- 太平洋沿岸の
- by far
- 断然
- plentiful
- 豊富な
- wooden lunch boxes
- 木の弁当箱
- glass floats
- 漁に使うガラス玉の浮き
- foot straps
- 鼻緒
- were nonexistent
- なかった
- mistook it for 〜
- 〜 だと勘違いした
- bookend
- 本立て(げたの歯の間に本を立てるのだと思った)
- made a childhood vow
- 幼いながらも誓いを立てた
- the Country of Bookend Shoes
- 「本立ての靴」の国
- cherish
- なつかしく思う
- intriguing treasures
- 想像をかきたてるような宝物
- eyesore it makes of 〜
- それが生み出す 〜 の醜さ
- signs
- 看板
- Garbage Can
- ごみ箱
- providing 〜 every couple of blocks
- 街区2つにつき1つの割合で 〜 を置く
- brightly colored
- 鮮やかな色の
- made a difference
- 効果を生じた
- transformed 〜
- 〜 を変えた
- cost-efficient
- 費用に対して最も効率のよい
- pick it up
- 拾う
- hand it back to 〜
- 〜 に手渡しで返す
- was not angry in the least with 〜
- 〜 に対してまったく怒らなかった
- reprimand
- 叱責
- (was)embarrassed
- ばつの悪い思いをした
- be forced to think about 〜
- 〜 を考えざるをえなくなる
- how it wasn't fair to 〜
- 〜 するのがいかに間違っていたか
- shared space
- 公共の場
- Thanks to 〜
- 〜 のおかげで
- cooperative program
- 協力によって成り立つ対策
- virtually
- 事実上
- litter-free
- ポイ捨てのない
- time is right for 〜 to 〜
- そろそろ 〜 を 〜 する時期である
- As a matter of fact
- 実を言うと
- scary
- 恐ろしい
- With the help of 〜
- 〜 を添えて
- deep bow
- 深いおじぎ
- dropped item
- 落とし物
- have not once encountered 〜
- 一度も 〜 に出会ったことがない