Life in Nagoya

Have I mentioned yet that trash is kind of a big deal here? You have to buy special bags (which took me about 6 weeks to find but now I see them every where) and then you have to sort it yourself. The clear bags are colored coded, and you can see inside clearly if someone isn't following directions.

Green = non-burnable trash (basically landfill material)

Red = burnable. This is the majority of my waste because really how many things can you throw in a fire and watch melt?! Almost everything!!

Blue = recyclable cans and bottles, but oddly enough they won't recycle my plastic containers from the US because it doesn't have the proper label on the bottom.

At work, we take it a step farther and recycle paper in 4 different categories: office paper, magazines, newspapers, and others.

You won't find any dumpsters in Japan. Just bags of trash in designated areas. I guess they don't have any issues with raccoons or stray animals!!

Trash sorting area #1

Trash sorting area #2. Who doesn't love a close-up pic of bags of trash?

The highways are often over head when I am walking around Nagoya. Just a tiny bit noisy.

Two bullet trains in the station at one time. One is eastbound and the other is westbound. Considering they come and go every 10-15 minutes this probably isn't such a rare sight, but they only stop for 20-30 seconds each, so I had to snap this picture quick!

Bicycle for young families. One kid sits in front, and the other in the back. My questions is: where do all of the purchases go?! I am happy to see this family has helmets though. They aren't very common here, and neither are car seats or even children buckled up in cars.

It's funny to me to see live flowers outside in February, but they love plants here, and there is always something in bloom.

For the busy mother on the go who's gotta go... here's a seat in the bathroom stall to put your kid in. We use strollers in America, but they are a rare sight here because there are so many stairs and so few elevators. I do see a lot of young sleeping babies wrapped to their mother's chest with fancy contraptions, but many of them are just held in their arms.

Even the gas stations are "5S". For you non-Toyota people, that's when there is a place for everything, including a box designated on the pavement where the cars should park when they are filling up with gasoline.

One foggy morning on my walk to work. The tallest building in Nagoya "Toyota Century" just disappeared into the mist!