After festivals, marche events, and bustling weekend streets, more trash than usual can be found on the streets.
When enjoying extraordinary events, one might let their guard down and accidentally drop or litter trash.
Japan Tobacco Inc. (abbreviated as JT) is holding a cleaning initiative called "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" at various local festivals across the country.
During the 50th Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival held on July 22, 2023, we collected trash from the streets through the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative.
I visited the JT booth at the 50th Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival to hear about their thoughts on the initiative and also participated in the cleaning activity.
I will convey how JT, a tobacco manufacturer, continues its cleaning activities and the state of trash at the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival.
What is the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative?
What kind of cleaning activities are conducted by a tobacco manufacturer?
I visited the booth for the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative at the 50th Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival and asked the staff about the activities.
Overview of the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative
The "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative is a participatory cleaning activity conducted by Japan Tobacco Inc. (abbreviated as JT) at local events such as festivals across the country.
On July 22, 2023, the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative was also held at the 50th Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival.
You can participate simply by visiting the JT-operated booth on the day of the festival.
JT started the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative in 2004 and has conducted approximately 2,500 activities at festivals nationwide so far.
At the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival, the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative has been ongoing since 2008.
Excluding the years 2020 to 2022 when it was canceled due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
How to participate in the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative
No reservation or preparation of tools is required, and you can participate simply by going to the booth for the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative on the day of the festival.
The necessary trash bags and tongs for picking up trash are loaned out by the staff at the booth.
Additionally, the collected trash should be brought back to the booth and sorted into the designated trash bins labeled "burnable trash," "non-burnable trash," etc.
Finally, you will disinfect your hands, and the activity will conclude.
To summarize the flow of the activity, it is as follows:
- Go to the booth
- Receive tongs and trash bags
- Head out into the festival and pick up trash
- Return to the booth, sort the collected trash, and dispose of it in the trash bins
- Receive a commemorative gift
It's easy, so if you see the words "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" at the festival, be sure to participate.
Not only will you enjoy the festival, but by contributing to it, you may also develop a fondness for the local customs associated with the festival.
Why JT picks up trash
Not all smokers are at fault, but cigarettes are among the most common litter.
Therefore, as the only domestic tobacco manufacturer, JT continues its activities to pick up cigarette butts and other trash at events across Japan.
Moreover, while there is nothing wrong with smoking, it is a fact that the public perception of smokers has become harsher due to some individuals not following etiquette.
We want to create a society where both smokers and non-smokers can enjoy themselves, and with this in mind, we are engaged in the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative.
Additionally, protecting the global environment is also a goal.
Tobacco is a plant-based product, and the tobacco manufacturing business relies on the blessings of soil and water.
As part of our efforts to protect the blessings we receive from the earth, we continue our cleaning activities in the city.
The state of the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative at the 50th Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival
I also participated in the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative at the 50th Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival.
I will convey the reality of trash at the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival.
Participants' activities
The Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival, which was held for the first time in about four years due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, was more crowded than ever.
The area around the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" booth was so crowded that it was difficult to walk straight.
While many people lined up at stalls for games and desserts, others came to the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" booth.
Participants of various ages, from children to adults, were engaged in the cleaning activity, but I particularly noticed a lot of elementary school-aged children.
While enjoying the festival with their families, I heard children expressing their desire to "pick up trash" upon seeing the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative.
Additionally, middle and high school students in yukata were participating, giving the impression that young people under 10 years old are interested in cleaning activities.
▼ By the way, while I was covering the event, Kurashiki City Mayor Ito Kaori visited the booth.
I tried picking up trash at the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival!
At the bustling Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival, how much trash is lying around?
To contribute to the festival, I also participated in picking up trash!
▼ First, receive tongs and a bag.
The booth for the "If You Pick It Up, You Will Love the Town" initiative is located at the entrance of Kurashiki Center Street near the JR Kurashiki Station intersection.
Most people walking from JR Kurashiki Station to the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival pass by this location.
▼ Let's head out into the festival!
I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people, but I steeled myself to take a step into the crowd to help clean the streets.
While being careful of pedestrians, I focused on the ground as I moved forward.
▼ The first thing I found was a cigarette, the symbol of littering.
While picking up trash, I found many cigarette butts in other places as well.
▼ A plastic bottle left in the grass.
I couldn't include it in the photo because it was too dirty, but there was also a corn cob left along with the plastic bottle.
Since it was something I hesitated to touch with my hands, I used the tongs to collect it in the bag.
▼ An antiseptic wipe that is distributed at convenience stores was found.
It was completely clean, so it was likely dropped unintentionally rather than being littered.
While it is important to have the mindset of not littering, I realized that we must also pay attention to dropped trash in order to keep the city clean.
▼A plastic bottle placed on the edge of a flower bed.
Trash that was intentionally left behind for disposal.
As I walked through the festival looking for trash, I began to see not only the fun parts of the festival but also the sad parts.
▼After about 15 minutes of picking up trash, the bag was full.
The trash I was able to collect is probably just a small part of it.
It is frightening to think that there is a quantity of trash on the streets that is many times greater than what I collected.
▼Returning to the booth, we will conduct trash sorting.
Normally, I would sort the trash myself, but since my hands were occupied with the camera, the staff kindly helped me.
Participants in the trash pickup receive a towel as a prize.
At the festival venue, wrapped in heat, sweat flows endlessly, so it was very useful.
Picking up trash at the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival
The highest percentage of participants is under 10 years old, which left a strong impression on me.
It was adults who discarded cigarette butts, but it is the young people who are picking up a lot of trash.
In community activities, we often hear from the older generation about passing down the culture and customs of the town to future generations, but perhaps the older generation also needs to learn from the culture of the young.
I feel that a society where everyone can work together to keep the city clean is much more wonderful than a society where only young people pick up trash.
If you see the booth for the "If you pick it up, you will love the city" movement at the festival, let's participate in the cleanup activities and work together to keep the city clean.
Data on the "If you pick it up, you will love the city" movement
| Name | If you pick it up, you will love the city movement |
|---|---|
| Date | Implemented at festivals and events nationwide. Continuously held every year since 2008 at the Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival. |
| Location | 1-7 Achi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation fee (tax included) | Free |
| Website | Japan Tobacco Inc. |
