Don't Abandon Your Broken Suitcase in Japan - Do This Instead

Tourists’ broken and abandoned suitcases are making headlines in Japan. Which raises the question: what do you do if your luggage craps the bed mid-trip? Here’s why broken suitcases are becoming such a problem – and how to dispose of yours responsibly.

The mounting broken suitcase problem

Bunch of suitcases being loaded onto what appears to be an airport shuttle Picture: nijimi / PIXTA(ピクスタ)

As tourism to Japan continues to accelerate, garbage has become a hot-button issue. Residents complain that inbound travelers litter. Tourists, meanwhile, complain that there aren’t enough garbage cans.

However, some tourists are leaving behind one particularly obnoxious form of garbage: their suitcases.

Abandoned broken suitcases have always been an issue in Japan. I wrote last year about how one hotel in Tokyo was using abandoned luggage to grow vegetables in its greenhouse. As inbound tourism increases, however, the problem’s getting worse.

According to local media, tourists aren’t just leaving their broken luggage in hotel rooms. Often, they’re leaving it on the streets or even at the airport.

A recent report from FNN Prime Online, focused on Chūbu Airport in Aichi Prefecture, says the international airport had 85 incidents of abandoned suitcases last year. When reporters went to the airport, officials had 20 abandoned suitcases in their possession.

The airport turns them over to the local police in case someone comes to claim them. (Almost no one ever does.) Despite putting up “no suitcase disposal” signs in multiple languages, incidents of abandoned suitcases have only increased.

Meanwhile, in Osaka, some 85% of lodging businesses polled said that abandoned suitcases were becoming a real problem. The area is currently enjoying a huge surge in tourism thanks to the Osaka Expo. However, it’s also seen a concomitant rise in people leaving their busted-ass suitcases behind when they leave.

Disposing of large garbage

So, obviously, people shouldn’t do this. The question is: What’s the alternative? Unfortunately, the answer often isn’t straightforward.

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A suitcase is oversized garbage, or 粗大ごみ (sodai gomi). Every city in Japan runs its own oversized disposal system, which involves:

Registering a pickup day with the city.

Buying a certain amount of stickers from a local combini as a disposal fee to place on the item. This usually comes out between 400 to 700 yen (a few US dollars).

Leaving the item at the designated pickup spot (which is usually somewhere in the neighborhood or a garbage room in a large apartment building).

Naturally, your average traveler doesn’t know any of this. Navigating this process when you don’t speak Japanese can be time-consuming at best and an exercise in frustration at worst.

What to do with your broken suitcase instead

A row of suitcases in a store of different colors

That doesn’t mean you can simply leave your suitcase behind in your hotel room or on the street, though! Instead, do the following:

Ask lodging or airport staff

Don’t just leave your suitcase lying around! Instead, ask someone what your options are. This can include:

Hotel staff

Your Airbnb host

Airport staff

More hotels and airports are now offering services that enable you to dispose of your luggage for a fee. For example, Chūbu Airport is now offering a disposal service for a small 1,200 yen ($8) fee. If a given hotel doesn’t directly offer this as a service, ask them to help you navigate the sodai gomi process for your locality.

If you’re staying in a private residence, contact the owner. They can likely help you navigate the disposal process, or even do it for you for a small fee.

Ask when you buy a new suitcase

Some department stores and specialty luggage stores will be happy to help you out by disposing of a broken suitcase. Many Internet users report that Ginza Karen in Osaka’s Shinsaibashi will do this for a mere 500 yen if you ask.

Contact a disposal service

There are a few English-language-friendly disposal services that can help you out with disposing of large garbage. The best one in the Tokyo/Yokohama area appears to be Nishida Service, which has a full English-language website.

Ask your tour guide

This is just one of the many unexpected situations where having a tour guide for even part of your trip is beneficial. Your guide can do the entire disposal process for you, from booking trash pick-up to buying the disposal stamps.

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If you use Unseen Japan Tours, we’re happy to help you out with just this sort of situation and other emergencies that might arise.

Sources

外国人観光客が捨てて帰ったか…空港関係者を悩ませる『放置スーツケース』不審物とみなされ都度Ｘ線検査など. FNN Prime Online

【速報】「外国人観光客のスーツケース放置」大阪の宿泊事業者の”85パーセント”が「問題」と回答　大阪観光局調査. ８Kantere