TOKYO (TR) – A traditional residential neighborhood in the capital’s Toshima Ward is being overwhelmed by a bizarre and unsettling problem: the mass illegal dumping of suitcases.
Situated within walking distance of JR Ikebukuro Station, the area has recently seen a rapid surge in minpaku (private vacation rentals) and an influx of inbound travelers. However, the tourism boom has brought an alarming nuisance, as suitcases are now being routinely discarded throughout the local area.
“I don’t know what’s inside, and I can’t exactly open them. It’s creepy and scary,” an angry resident tells weekly tabloid Shukan Shincho (Apr. 30). “Moreover, it’s not just one or two. Even if we report it to the ward and have them removed, they appear again before we know it. It’s a game of cat and mouse.”
Brazen scale of the dumping
A brief walk through the neighborhood reveals the brazen scale of the dumping. Discarded luggage can be found abandoned on the streets, at local garbage collection points, wedged into narrow gaps between houses, and left directly in front of apartment buildings.
Multilingual signs warning against illegal dumping in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean have been erected throughout the area. Yet, they are frequently ignored by those discarding the luggage.
“Suitcases are being left right next to or even directly underneath the warning signs,” the resident adds.
The phenomenon is believed to be driven by foreign tourists who purchase larger or higher-quality luggage during their stay in Japan, opting to abandon their old bags in residential streets rather than dispose of them properly.
Last year, foreign visitors to Japan reached a record high of approximately 42.68 million, a 15.8 percent increase from the previous year, with this year’s numbers on pace to be even higher.
While the economic windfall of tourism is welcome, fed-up locals say they can do without the creepy baggage left behind.
