If there is one thing that one should partake in after the Hanami party and that is the cleanup. Everyone cleans up!
And I’m going to bring up something I have written in the past…
One thing I often see in Japan is how Japanese society is very big on cleanliness after a sporting event, after a party, the thought of cleaning up was almost a collective effort and it’s something that makes me happy to see.
I noticed in heavily tourist locations that people who are traveling from other countries who are unable to find garbage cans, they just leave their empty cups or bottles right on the sidewalk. I noticed it at sporting events, where the thought of non-Japanese was to leave their garbage for the workers to clean up.
I think this is a often a thought by some at a movie theater to sporting events is that if one pays quite a bit of money to attend an event that the cleaning is best left to staff.
While in Japan, it’s an inconvenience for one to leave their own garbage. At a sporting event, people work together to throw away their garbage or pass your garbage to a person sitting next to you who gives it to custodial staff as they walk the stairs with a bag. And at a party, at the end, everyone joins together to clean things up.
So, at the end of the Hanami, please take part in the clean-up effort, just don’t leave your trash behind (especially if you leave early). Take part in the cleanup effort!
