Man, you have not been major city areas if you think japan is tidy. Sure, compared to the US it maybe is, but a lot of european countries are better. But travel a bit further from the city centres in japan and you’ll start seeing all those illegal trash sites at quiet mountain roads and yards full of old trash.

I live in Aomori prefecture, and I have seen everything you describe first hand. Not to mention all the decaying abandoned buildings and the super dirty beaches.

I wonder how much it's the fault of the ridiculous Japanese trash collection system. Sorting the trash in 20 different bags that you can only dispose of once a month... No wonder at some point people just get fed up and throw it away in a somewhat hidden place.

Well, I must have fallen prey to the narrative yet again.

That being said I can see an illegal trash site from my window, so I guess my reference point may be pretty far away from both the Swiss and Japanese standard.

both own currency is considered stable.