Rubbish Lady - The Dictator of Japan

So as some of you may have seen on YouTube or read in my last post I am now living and working in a place called Hamamatsu City (fondly referred to from here on as Hama) in Japan. I know I should start this by saying how amazing Japan is and how much I'm loving it here (which I most definitely am) but all I can think of to write about is the Rubbish Lady.

The middle-aged, business owner Rubbish Lady who lurks outside my apartment beside the rubbish drop off area each morning. She owns the neighbourhood. Metaphorically. If she doesn't like your rubbish it doesn't get thrown out. Quite simple really.

I feel that before I go on it's important for you all to know that the Japanese rubbish and recycling system is not a simple one. Have a look at these:

Mhmm. You get it? Don't worry. I'm pretty sure even Japanese people are confused. So it's understandably not easy for a foreigner to get used to. Generally most things go into burnable and clean plastic goes into the plastics. It's rather a time consuming process though and while I try my best to separate rubbish as well as I can, it's not a simple task.

A few weeks into living here I heard of one of my neighbours getting their rubbish put back. I hadn't experienced this yet so I was feeling pretty cocky. The next day I put out two bags of rubbish with almost identical contents and when I returned home in the evening I found just one of them waiting for me at the entrance to the apartment building.

I was confused. There was no note to say what was wrong and if the city rubbish collectors don't take it they are supposed to put a sticker on it telling you that you did something wrong. The sticker was no present. The bag was full of food and with the temperatures reaching 38degrees over here I didn't want to risk taking it back to my apartment for the cockroaches to feast on. So instead I've started a new system of making it other people's problem by leaving it under the stairs at the entrance of our building. I will add, though, that there is a suspicious pile of rubbish already under the stairs coated in dust so I suspect that I am not her first victim. 

Every time I tried to put rubbish out either only one bag would be taken or no bags would be taken. I would try again using the bags under the stairs which would then, possibly having improved with age, now be acceptable for disposal.

One time I tried to put some rubbish away from the Rubbish Mafia Lady's area because I considered the idea that that wasn't the rubbish drop off place but I received an angrily written note that seems to say "THIS IS NOT THE RUBBISH SPOT". If anyone out there can read this a bit better than me I would appreciate your translation.

Another day I put out my bag in the usual spot but there was no green net to put it under (nets are used to keep the crows out of the rubbish). So I just left my bag in the usualy spot. When I got home I found my bag with a note explaining when rubbish is thrown out and that it should be placed under the net. It said that burnable rubbish (the contents of my bag) was thrown out on a Friday (it was a Friday) before 8.30am (it's always 8am when I leave for work) under the net (which wasn't present). To this day I remain confused as to the meaning of this note.

I have greeted the rubbish lady on several occasions. One of the first few weeks I was here she said "Hello" and asked me where I was from. In my half asleep state I told her I was from the apartment building and pointed to it. She laughed sharply and grimaced and said "No, what country?". Picture this said in the most condescending way imaginable. I'm so great a first impressions.

Other times I have attempted to repair this impression by calling out brightly with a greeting when I see her but she always gives me a stare down and mumbles back with the bare minimum... sometimes not even replying.

For two weeks my rubbish has been returned to me. I'm almost at the end of my wits. I have no idea how to get rid of this build up of trash. I also have no idea how the ALTs (assistant language teachers) in my apartment block are getting rid of theirs. I'm almost ready to beg them to put mine out for me in the hopes that if I don't have my finger prints on the bag it will be accepted.

My current rubbish situation not including the 3 rejected bags downstairs

 However, my fight with the Rubbish Lady will go on. I will continue to challenge her with my foreign rubbish ideals and she will continue to throw them back in my face. My dream is that one day I will come home after a long day at work and be able to walk into my apartment without the greetings of one month old rubbish on my doorstep.

Just thought you might want to know. 

[UPDATE: a kind ALT in my building has informed me of another rubbish drop off spot just up the road. Wish me luck!]