Tokyo's authorities are grappling with an unexpected side effect of the tourism boom: travellers are leaving their old suitcases directly on the streets. The administration of the Toshima special ward reported that last year alone, 290 abandoned suitcases were found in the district. Across the city as a whole, police logged 4,600 unclaimed bags, 70 per cent of which were never reclaimed.
The cause is the yen's exchange rate, which has made Japanese goods so affordable for foreigners that it has sparked a buying frenzy. Tourists purchase new suitcases in Japan and leave the old ones on pavements and beside rubbish bins rather than pay airlines for a second piece of checked luggage.
City services have reminded visitors that under Japan's waste disposal laws, dumping oversized rubbish in an unauthorised place is a criminal offence. Offenders face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million yen, roughly $65,000.
Letters