Influencers claim that they can walk with white socks in Tokyo and emerge with perfectly clean white socks. However, that’s just a lie–no city in the world is that clean. But that makes you wonder–how clean is Tokyo? We’ll be taking a deep dive into the cleanliness of Tokyo. 

Tokyo is globally recognized for its exceptional cleanliness, because of a combination of cultural factors, and effective government systems.  It has a deeply ingrained emphasis on civic duty and responsibility. 

Cultural factors include philosophical and religious foundations. For example, their native religion, Shinto, believes impurity is a negative force. Keeping oneself and their surroundings clean is a way of showing respect towards the divine beings. Children are also educated from a young age, with cleaning activities being a part of their daily school schedule through high school.  

Their government systems also emphasize cleanliness. Following the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, authorities disposed of most public trash cans as a security measure. This policy forced people to carry their own garbage with them, which had a drastic influence on reducing street litter. They even have harsh fines for littering. 

In conclusion, Tokyo is one of the cleanest places in the world because of their philosophical grounding and civic duty