Walk through Tokyo for an hour. You won't find a public trash can. Yet the streets are spotless. How is that possible? Episode 3 traces the surprising answer to 1995 — a terrorist attack — and reveals what Japanese cleanliness really teaches us about personal responsibility.
Show notes
March 20, 1995: Aum Shinrikyo sarin attack triggered nationwide trash can removal as security measure. But the cultural foundation was already there: school soji (kids clean classrooms), Buddhist sweeping as meditation, Shinto kegare (impurity) concept. Cleanliness chosen, not enforced. Carry your trash home.