Hello newsletter readers,

Sam here. Lemme first apologize for the lag between newsletter posts. I spent the first half of August in Japan, and pledged to do no work while there. The trip was amazing. Everyone I told about my travels said it would be, but I was still blown away.

There was so much to take in. The vintage shopping was on point. All of the food was amazing, especially the fare at Japanese 7-Elevens. The little spa town I ended up in for a few nights, Kinosaki Onsen, was sublime. The bar scene was great, and I discovered more than one great record bar that I’d fly across the world for again. It’s called Cafe/Bar Oil. It is perfect. If you’re ever in Kyoto…

But the thing that stuck with me the most about Japan — besides the hospitality, the order, the aesthetic beauty, and the relative quiet of most public spaces — was the trash. Or to be specific, the absence of trash receptacles. There really aren’t that many public trash cans in Japan.

There are a few reasons for this, but the biggest was a 1995 attack on several Tokyo subway trains. The attack killed 14 people and injured at least 5,500 more, according to CNN. One aftereffect of the attack was the removal of trash cans from subway stations and train stations. And after a train bombing in Madrid, even more trash cans were removed from Japan’s public spaces.

On my second day in Japan, I ended up with the remnants of an iced coffee in my hand as I walked into a vintage clothing store. While perusing the aisles, a kind attendant approached me and gestured at my coffee, letting me know I couldn’t have it in the store. I acknowledged her, chugged the coffee, and smiled. And then she pulled a small plastic bag out of her pocket, placed the nearly-empty coffee cup in the bag, tied it up real pretty, and proceeded to hand the bag to me. With a smile.

For the next several hours, from vintage store to vintage store to vintage store, I carried a small plastic bag with an empty plastic coffee cup in it. At first it was annoying, and then I found it hilarious.

And then it made me reflect. A lot.

Most of the time in America, I leave a trail of garbage behind me wherever I go. There’s a garbage bag in the back of my SUV for cups and cans and wrappers. On any given day traipsing around Los Angeles, I am leaving countless receipts, and food packaging and plastics and papers and more, in any number of garbage cans and recycling bins and the like. It means that most days here in the States, I never really have to think about the waste I’ve created, where I placed it, or where it’s going.

Contrast that with Japan. Every day, before I left my hotel, or any shop, or any coffee stand or cafe, I had to think — very carefully — about what I was consuming, what waste it created, how long I’d carry that waste, where I was going, and where I’d end up. It also meant that I really didn’t eat or drink on the go (In Japanese culture, this is a BIG no-no). It made me a more conscientious and kind traveler. It made me stop and think more about all of my actions throughout the day.

After all of the amazing things I experienced on my trip, that’s what stuck with me the longest. Japan, and its lack of trash cans, showed me a different way of existing in a city every day. I can be more aware. More aware of where I am going, and what I am carrying, and when I might be able to put it down. I can think more about the waste I create and think more about where it ends up. I can eat and drink in the places where I received said food and drink, and not consume it haphazardly in the seat of a car or on a street corner. I can move through my day, my life, my world, with a more careful attention to my actions and their aftereffects.

All of this! From a lack of trash cans!

Anywho, in other news, I really enjoyed the Apple TV+ show Rooster on my flight back. Steve Carell is perfect in it, and the whole cast fired on all cylinders the entire season, especially Danielle Deadwyler. And earlier this week, I thoroughly enjoyed a live chat with Abbott Elementary star Janelle James, who plays school principal Ava Coleman on the show. Our chat is on podcast apps and YouTube right now, if you’re looking for something to watch or listen to this Friday afternoon.

Alright, till next time, thanks for reading, listening, and watching. May you also be inspired to think a little bit more about the way you move through the world this weekend, as well as what you carry, and when to set things down.

Happy weekend,
-Sam

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