Rubbish ゴミ gomi ごみ

Rubbish bins ゴミ箱 ゴミばこ

(photos from internet for educational purposes)

Cleaning at school そうじ sōji

Cleaning at school   そうじ　sōji

Cleaning is an important part of life at school. Every day at the end of the classroom lessons all students are involved in the cleaning process. The basic Japanese philosophy is: you make it dirty, you clean up your own mess. 

The boys clean as much as the girls. They may not like it, but there is no chance of avoiding it. The pictures above would make one think that it is fun to clean. Of course not!

The students even clean the toilets. Well… Well, at home someone has to clean the toilet, so someone has to do it at school. Boys as well as girls.

　

Of course, they do have commercial cleaners and every so often they come in to do a commercial clean. However, the basic idea is that children clean their own mess.

This cleaning is a bit unusual, so it maybe an Open Day fundraiser. Normally this cleaning is done by commercial cleaners. There must have been a special plan at work in this school. Still, no harm done teaching children that someone has to do the dirty job!

People clean and the commercial scrubbing machines are just not there.

The best cleaners get a reward.

Of course, you are thinking: “Yeah. Sure. But I’m not going to do it!” Well, the Japanese have even thought of that: そうじとうばん, it is called sōji・tōban, cleaning duty. It is very simple. Divide the group into sections. Each section has a job. Write the names of the students in each section. Put a time limit on it and presto! How do you know that each section is done? Because the next group on duty doesn’t want to do the earlier group’s job twice.

Or a more complicated version:









Teachers help a bit too.

If you learn this method of responsibility from an early age, you learn to look after yourself and the group. If western schools have a problem, it tends to be litter. 

Most students in the west are led to believe (subliminally) that staff are essential in order to clean up after them. Parents are there to clean up after the children and to pay for their life-style. Perhaps that is harsh and actually not really true, but you do get the drift of what we are saying, don’t you?

And when you are really good at it, when you grow up, you may do it for yourself at home and for your boss as well.

Japanese dishwashers しょっきあらいき

食器洗い機　しょっきあらいき　

shokki arai-ki, dishwasher

Japanese kitchen space often dictates the size of the appliance. Also there may not be all that many people needing the appliance in the first place.

This seems to be the size that we are more familiar with in a western kitchen.

Sometimes one has to wonder if the cleaning of the appliance is not more work than actually cleaning the dishes by hand. There’s a thought. Is it a status symbol?

Smart design though: “you just Gota have it!”

コンパクト除菌ミスト

こんぱくと　じょきん　みすと

konpakuto jokin misuto

(compact sterilise mist)

compact with sterilising mist

National  コンパクトで充実機能

National  こんぱくとで  じゅうじつきのう

National konpakuto de jūjitsukinō

compact with full functionality

小さく置ける大きく開く

ちいさくおけるおおきくひらく

chiisaku okeru ookiku hiraku

(little take up space – big open up)

Space saving wide opening

That pan would fill up with water in no time! Oh well, it is a demo for size maybe.

Also: if chopsticks are made of wood, you still would have to wash them by hand… Would you put your expensive Japanese porcelain, or your expensive Japanese lacquer ware in the machine – not really. There is nothing like the good hand-at-the-sink wash.

Not funny, is it?! 

All parents seem to think it is a very useful skill to learn though. You’re doing a brilliant job! Great sink to work at!

We would love one of those glass ones at home, so we could all watch the dishwasher wash the dishes. We would save time washing of course, but we would have time to watch. Unfortunately, these glass ones are only shop demo models.

305 ‘Green’ グリーン

The going green movement  in Japan is becoming stronger every day. In the past Japan has had huge polution problems and although not all issues are resolved, the younger generation is becoming more aware of it and beginning to demand action against wastage.

One of the earliest complaints was against the Japanese custom of wrapping up presents with layers of paper, which were all quite unceremoniously thrown out afterwards. The issue of chopsticks has come up many times too, although there the issue is more about hygiene. Nevertheless, Japan is going green.

On a rather painful note: the whole Fukushima disaster will bring Japan and the rest of the world to a rethink on nuclear power. Questions are being asked about the huge electricity bills that Japan generates. Tokyo and any other large Japanese city is lit up and seen from the moon! Many Japanese people leave the neon lights on all night long – even all day long. That habit may become a thing of the past. Don’t forget though that 125 million people cannot change overnight. It takes precious time.

These days more and more people shop in recycle shops, which were not so long ago an absolute no-no. Students changed that and foreigners changed that. The rubbish collection in Japan is a sight to behold. More and more stuff is recycled. However, be reasonable: most people don’t have a lot of space to store, so if you want a change, or something breaks, you have no option but to chuck!

Eco-travel in Japan with Nippon Travel Agency

Hobbies 趣味 しゅみ After school ほうかご

Wardrobe 押入れ おしいれ