After festivals, market events, and weekends in busy downtown areas, more trash than usual can be found on the streets left bustling with crowds.
When enjoying an extraordinary event, people may let their guard down and accidentally drop or litter their trash.
Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) holds a cleanup initiative called “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” at local festivals and other events across Japan, allowing people to enjoy the festivities while cleaning up.
At the 50th Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival, held on July 22, 2023, trash littering the streets was also collected through “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo.”
I visited JT’s booth at the 50th Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival to hear about the motivation behind the initiative, and also took part in the cleanup.
Here, I’ll share why JT, a tobacco manufacturer, continues its cleanup activities, as well as what the trash situation was like at the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival.
The information presented was current when this article was published in August 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo”?
What kind of cleanup activities does a tobacco manufacturer carry out?
I visited the “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” booth at the 50th Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival and asked the staff about the initiative.
About “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo”
“Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” is a participatory cleanup initiative run by Japan Tobacco Inc. at local events, including festivals, across Japan.
“Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” was also held at the 50th Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival on July 22, 2023.
You can take part simply by visiting the booth run by JT on the day of the festival.
JT launched “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” in 2004 and has held activities around 2,500 times at festivals and other events across Japan.
At the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival, “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” has continued since 2008.
Excluding 2020 to 2022, when the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
How to take part in “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo”
No advance reservation or equipment is needed; you can take part simply by going to the “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” booth on the day of the festival.
The staff lend you the trash bags and tongs needed to pick up litter.
You then bring the collected trash back to the booth and sort it into bins labeled “burnable trash,” “non-burnable trash,” and so on.
Finally, disinfect your hands, and you’re done.
To recap, the activity goes as follows:
- Go to the booth
- Get tongs and a trash bag
- Head out into the festival and pick up trash
- Return to the booth, sort the collected trash, and put it in the bins
- Receive a souvenir
It’s easy, so if you see a “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” sign at a festival, why not join in?
By contributing to the festival yourself, as well as enjoying it, you may feel more attached to the festival as a local tradition.
Why JT picks up trash
Not everyone who smokes is irresponsible, but cigarette butts are among the most common pieces of litter.
For this reason, as Japan’s only domestic tobacco manufacturer, JT continues to pick up cigarette butts and other trash at events throughout the country.
There is nothing wrong with smoking, but it is also true that smokers are increasingly viewed unfavorably by the public because of some people who fail to observe proper manners.
With the desire to create a society where smokers and nonsmokers alike can feel comfortable, JT carries out “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo.”
The initiative also aims to protect the global environment.
Tobacco is a plant-based product, and tobacco manufacturing is a business made possible by the blessings of soil and water.
As part of its efforts to protect the resources we receive from the Earth, JT continues its street-cleaning activities.
“Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” at the 50th Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival
I also took part in “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” at the 50th Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival.
Here’s what I found about the trash situation at the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival.
What participants were like
Held for the first time in about four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival was busier than usual.
The area around the “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” booth was also so crowded that it was difficult to walk straight.
While many people lined up at food stalls for games and desserts, others came to the “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” booth.
People of all ages, from children to adults, took part in the cleanup, regardless of gender. The group I noticed in particular was children around elementary school age.
As families enjoyed the festival, I heard children who had spotted “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” say, “I want to pick up trash.”
Junior high and high school students wearing yukata also took part, giving me the impression that many young people in their teens and younger are interested in cleanup activities.
▼Incidentally, while I was reporting, Kaori Ito, the mayor of Kurashiki City, visited the booth.
I tried picking up trash at the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival!
How much trash is left behind at the crowded Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival?
To contribute to the festival, even in a small way, I decided to join in picking up trash!
▼First, I got a pair of tongs and a bag.
The “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” booth was set up at the entrance to Kurashiki Center Street, near the intersection in front of JR Kurashiki Station.
It’s a spot passed by almost everyone walking from JR Kurashiki Station to the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival.
▼Let’s head into the festival!
I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people, but steeled myself and stepped into the crowd to help clean up the streets.
Keeping an eye out for pedestrians, I moved forward while scanning the ground carefully.
▼The first thing I spotted was the quintessential piece of litter: a cigarette butt.
While picking up trash, I found many more cigarette butts in other places, too.
▼A plastic bottle left in the grass.
It was too dirty to include in a photo, but there was also a corn cob someone had finished eating, left beside the plastic bottle.
I didn’t want to touch it with my hands, so I used the tongs to pick it up and put it in the bag.
▼A wet wipe of the kind handed out at convenience stores and elsewhere had been dropped.
Since it was completely clean, it probably wasn’t littered intentionally but was accidentally dropped.
It’s important to make a point of not littering, but this made me realize that we also need to watch out for trash that people accidentally drop if we want to keep the city clean.
▼A plastic bottle left on the edge of a flower bed.
Trash deliberately left behind to be disposed of.
Walking around the festival looking for trash reveals not only the fun side of the festival, but also its sad side.
▼After about 15 minutes of picking up litter, the bag was full.
The trash collected must have been only a small fraction of it.
It’s frightening to think that there may be many times more trash scattered around the city than what I collected.
▼Back at the booth, we sort the trash.
Normally, participants sort the trash themselves, but since my hands were occupied with my camera, a staff member helped me.
Participants in the litter cleanup receive a towel as a prize.
It came in handy at the festival, where the heat made sweat pour endlessly.
Picking up litter at the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival
What left the strongest impression on me was that participants aged 19 and under made up the largest share.
Adults were the ones who threw away cigarette butts, yet young people were the ones picking up lots of trash.
At community activities, I often hear older people say that they pass the region’s culture and customs on to future generations, but perhaps older people also need to learn from young people’s culture.
Rather than a society where young people are expected to pick up trash, I think a society where everyone can work together to keep the city clean would be wonderful.
If you see a booth for the “Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo” at a festival, join the cleanup and let’s all work together to keep the city clean.
Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo Information
| Name | Hiroeba Machi ga Suki ni Naru Undo |
|---|---|
| Dates | Held at festivals and other events throughout Japan. Held annually at the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival since 2008. |
| Location | 1-7 Achi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation fee (tax included) | Free |
| Website | Japan Tobacco Inc. |
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a search term to find articles on this site
