TOKYO: Japan has a reputation as a culture with a complex set of etiquette rules, where every action one takes has the potential to shock and offend those with a commitment to classic courtesy. Honestly, though, a lot of it is common sense. Always remember to say please and thank you. Don’t be unnecessarily loud in public places. Oh, and don’t throw your dirty takeout lunch containers in public mailboxes. That last one might seem especially obvious, but it’s exactly the kind of faux pas that landed a British citizen in trouble this week in the town of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, where 37-year-old Anthony Tanaka was arrested on charges of violation of Japan’s Waste Management Law, which, among other things, prohibits the illegal dumping of personal trash.
https://japantoday.com/category/crime/british-citizen-arrested-for-dumping-bento-trash-in-mailbox?
The incident took place on the property of Kamakura’s city hall on Monday, at approximately 2:20 p.m. Tanaka, having apparently recently polished off takeout bento boxed lunch, tossed the empty container, disposable chopsticks, and an empty plastic drink bottle into a city hall mailbox.
