Japan was amazing in these regards. It truly feels liberating when going somewhere means you literally do not need to worry about that specific thing.

When I first went to Japan I felt like we in the west live like fucking savages.

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shoobiedoo 41 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

What's savage is what Japan does to drug users and dealers. If the west did the same, we'd be a lot cleaner, too, since washrooms wouldn't be open door fentanyl naptime rooms. But at what cost?

For what it's worth I think a middle ground leaning closer to the west is the best approach. Save injection sites like the one in Vancouver have been a disaster, however

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squidmaster 32 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

You call it savage, but the result is more civilized. Why should we settle for a middle ground? Why should we negotiate with degenerates who can't even be trusted with a toilet?

There is nothing savage about the way Japan treats those who are incompatible with civilization. On the contrary, to parley with the savages is what makes you a savage too.

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Toutouxc 22 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I live in Europe and public restrooms don’t feel like fentanyl naptime rooms. Maybe that’s more of a North America thing?

	▲	shoobiedoo 19 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		I can only speak for Vancouver. New West, specifically, which is probably more crack-denny than other areas. But yeah, even Starbucks will hang fake "out of order" signs on the door because it's guaranteed to become an impromptu vein shooting gallery at some point during the day.

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cindyllm 14 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

[dead]

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user43928 43 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

While that's good, Japan has other issues to worry about.

Since there are no trash cans, you have to carry garbage with you until you're back home, or maybe find another store where you can dispose of it.

The toilet paper and tissues in Japan are extremely thin and in my view quite inconvenient.

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bschwindHN 34 minutes ago | parent [-]

People get so hung up on garbage, I don't get it. Keep a single plastic bag with you, put your trash in it. Take it back and throw it away at home or your hotel or wherever you're staying. Most train stations have plenty of garbage cans, and if you're traveling in Japan, you're probably taking a train.

The toilet paper sucks, sure, but that's just cheap single-ply for public use toilets. People can and do buy the good stuff for their homes. Hardly an issue to worry about.

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user43928 11 minutes ago | parent [-]

Taking a plastic bag with you to lug around garbage is obviously inconvenient. They could just put up public garbage cans like most of the civilized world.

The hotels and public venues also had the cheap single-ply stuff.

I was not able to find any decent tissues in stores, so I doubt that people all buy the good stuff for their homes.

	▲	orwin a few seconds ago \| parent [-]
		In cities, I agree that if you aren't used to it, it might be inconvenient. However, 99% of hikers in Europe carry their own trash bags. It took off in the early 2000 and now it's almost a culture thing, especially amongst young hikers, and not having one is basically a social error (well, littering is, you can always ask people for an empty trash bag if you forgot yours). Honestly I can see why they choose that solution.