I recently had the pleasure of travelling to Japan on a short holiday, but as seems to be the case in this industry, we never actually take the sustainability goggles off, so my trip was as much an education in culture as it was an observation of how Japan approaches sustainability. Reflecting on Japan's sustainability initiatives has also encouraged me to reflect further on our efforts here at home.

A quick review of Wikipedia reveals that Japan has the world's tenth largest population, with about 128 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, into which we first travelled, includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, and is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents (Wikipedia, 2009).

Funnily enough, the whole preparation for the trip was so rushed, that it wasn’t really until I came back to Australia that I took the opportunity to do any real research into Japan’s sustainability endeavors. I was well aware of the reputation of the public transport system (ultra-efficiency but don’t be late), and Narita airport (which we flew into and out of) is well known for its sustainability endeavors (see here). It was an eye opener to travel into a single city which boasts a higher total population than our entire country, and it was even more so to see the levels of urban density – which would be completely alien to many of us here. Almost every inch of space gets used – homes within the cities are generally multi storey, and butted up against each other. Multi level apartments and units are also common, but boast none of the floor space we might expect here. However with that density, there also came a sense of urban amenity, and engagement between homes, shops and the street.

The cities we visited promote walkability. The narrow alleyways provided for easy connectivity between city blocks. Further, being narrow they slowed vehicle traffic, and almost gave priority to pedestrians and bicycles by default. It was so easy to head out and walk about (and feel engaged with) the city, and travelling between “precincts” to do the touristy thing was incredibly simple either on foot, by bike, or using the public transport system. The well recognised challenge for Australian cities is certainly to re-focus on pedestrians, and reduce our reliance on our cars. There is little that can really prepare you for rush hour in the Tokyo subway, and we quickly found we needed more than 15 minutes to navigate our way to the right train platform. Overall, the public transport system is truly amazing. It literally runs like clockwork – set to the second. However, if you should miss a train, as we did, it is rarely more than 10 minutes before the next one arrives. They are clean, reliable and cheap, with a timetabling and ticketing system that even we “gaijin” (foreigners) could decipher. Equally convenient are the buses, with many routes using fixed fares, and a “get on, pay as you leave” approach which speeds up the process amazingly. If a timetable says a bus or train is due, you can bet that it will arrive, and leave, on time.

Equally impressive was the extent of cycling, followed in preference by scooters and small motorbikes, taxis, small (kei) cars (perfect for navigating narrow back alleyways and getting through traffic, and with reduced engine capacity), and lastly other private vehicles. On almost every corner of the cities we visited, up lane ways and around subway and train stations, bicycles were parked. Japan apparently has a bicycle registration system, as each bike I saw had a small sticker with a registration number attached to the frame. Many places we visited appeared to employ bicycle parking officers, who would do one of two things – move your bike out of the way to compact the parking space used, or give you a ticket and possibly remove and impound your bike if you parked in the wrong place.

Further, the level of respect paid to cyclists on the road by motorized vehicle drivers was something I as a cyclist, can only dream of here. With so many cyclists out on the road, not only does it help to reduce traffic congestion by reducing the number of cars all vying for road space, but it also seems to breed an air of cooperation on the roads. Perhaps it is just that the Japanese follow their road rules, but we never once saw any real incidence of traffic rage a hint of a traffic jam, bar taxi drivers jockeying for space on the ranks surrounding the major train stations. If there is one thing my wife (a town planner) and I agreed on, it was that we would dearly love to bring that transport system back home.

Even recreation and open space reflects this constrained use of space -  there was little or no sign of our idea of a backyard – the Japanese backyard garden consists generally of a small manicured bonsai style garden. Local parks and gardens are either associated with shrines and temples, or are small and ornamental, with little in the way of the big open space recreational parks we are used to seeing here. Organised sports seemed to be largely a part of school life, but sports like baseball, soccer and golf (multi level driving ranges) were definitely to be seen within the cities.

Also interesting was the way small spaces of open land were used for productive planting – even a space between railway lines or a narrow sunny strip between homes might be used for growing vegetables and in the low-lying flat land in and around the cities, rice paddies proliferate. With so many mouths to feed, it appears to be (at a local scale) that farming has been adapted to the space available, rather than the European model which operates the other way around, and is largely responsible for the evidence of land degradation we now see here in Australia. Still, when I started to research Japan and its approach to sustainability, in hindsight that Japan imports around 60% of its food (see here) came as little surprise. Given we saw no evidence of grazing agriculture, it raises the question of where Japan gets its milk, and meat. Even aside from rice, we saw little evidence of grain crops. According to that same source above, the Japanese Government has set a target to reduce food imports to 45%, but this will still be a challenge.

Food scarcity is seen as a global challenge, made even more so by the potential impacts of climate change. Brisbane City Council has been looking at how to increase the growth of “food in the city” – local productive gardens and the like, so the challenge of feeding a growing population is equally applicable in Japan as it is here at home. It certainly raises some challenges within the city and in suburban/urban fringe areas.

It was interesting to see the evidence of business and industry looking at sustainability. Many an advertising sign outlined yet another initiative. From Sanyo's solar charge phone, to Panasonic's Eco range, to the Sony building sourcing wind power and supporting local playground planting, business and industry is looking to promote its efforts. On a quick visit to McDonalds (always a reliable place for a wireless internet hotspot), I was interested to see the signs on the counter stating quite obviously that putting your burgers into individual bags and then into a larger carry bag was additional waste, so they were foregoing the extra bag. Similarly, other familiar food outlets like Gloria Jeans had similar messages about waste separation and reduction. I rarely visit these here at home, so I will pay attention next time I do.

Next to every vending machine (and they are EVERYWHERE) would be at least a recycling bin for PET bottles and cans, and quite often, public bins while scarce, would distinguish between burnable waste, non burnable waste, food containers, paper and magazines, plastic, glass and cans. There was little, if any litter on the streets, but that might also be attributable to the fact that the Japanese (according to our travel research), rarely eat in public, or on the go as we do here. That might also explain the infrequency of general waste bins in the street. It is easy to understand why Japan would be so particular about waste management. With limited land area and mountainous topography, there is limited opportunity for large landfills as we use here, and the efficiency of reduce-reuse-recycle is apparently a long part of Japan’s history, dating back to the Edo period when its borders were largely closed to import/export of resources (see here).

Reading this, one might think that Japan is all deep, bright green. However, there are still some interesting observations.

Given Japan's volcanic origins (located directly on the pacific “Ring of Fire”) I was curious to know why their main source of electricity is still coal. Japan has 18 geothermal power stations in operation, but their total output is only slightly more than 500 MW and accounts for only around 0.2 percent of the total electricity generated within Japan (link here). One possible explanation was found, relating to fears that tapping geothermal springs for energy would ruin their traditional and tourist use for relaxation and natural therapeutic value (Treehugger, 2008, The Guardian, 2009). As is the case here at home, existing perceptions still represent a barrier to shifting to renewable energy.

On our trip the human side of the sustainability equation also became obvious.

While in Japan, I read reports in the print news about office workers, mainly foreign, literally working themselves to death. Prior to our leaving, I was also aware of Japan's reputation for hardworking ‘salarymen' devoting their lives to long work hours, advancing up the corporate ladder, and had read reports of the GFC having hit these same workers very hard. On our arrival, it was quite late as we headed from Narita into Tokyo, and at 11pm I was astounded to see trains full of business suited workers – men and women - making their way home, only to have to turn around in as little as 6 hours to make the return trip back to work. It made me wonder at what quality of home life these hard workers might enjoy.

There was evidence of homelessness in many of the cities we visited, with small patches of sheltered space often “marked out” by cardboard boxes flattened to make a bed, or a small duffel bag containing limited belongings. In one spot, the space between the footpath and the road had been filled with the type of small framed “gazebo” we might be used to seeing over a Telstra work pit. However inside were the same cardboard bed, and some bags of clothing and cooking belongings – the temporary use of available space for a makeshift home, reminiscent of the tent city that sprung up in South Brisbane on what is now the site of the southern ramp of the (new) Hale Street Bridge.

I also saw what I can only assume was anonymous generosity towards those less fortunate. On one instance in the early evening, a man walking in front of me placed a small plastic bag of what appeared to be 100 yen coins into the base of a roadside work fence on a busy street. On another instance, a small paper envelope full of coins had been left under a train station seat, presumably for later collection by a needy recipient.

Even the generosity shown to foreigners by way of directions and assistance showed a strong social ethic. The Japanese are known to be proud yet humble, but the level of courtesy and respect displayed in shops, on the streets and in the places we visited was truly to be remembered. A smile and a small nod/bow to acknowledge people on the street, or to vehicle drivers who would stop to let a pedestrian pass, would be returned in kind, and politeness and respect was definitely the norm, rather than the exception – something I dare say I notice increasingly less here at home.

As visitors, another thing we noted was the sense of safety and security when we were walking the streets, even late at night. Early in our stay, during a late night exploration of Shinjuku in Tokyo, we passed a young woman, in business attire, walking through the same back alley between buildings as we were. Whilst it was well lit, for us foreigners there was still a slight sense of wariness, yet this woman appeared not at all concerned. In fact, the whole time we were there we never felt at all as though we were walking through an area we shouldn't, even when it seemed we had descended into dodgy back alleys full of bars and hideaways. Perhaps it is just that we saw no evidence of street crime, or perhaps that it doesn't happen much, but CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) principles seem alive and well in the urban streets of Japan.

Now, after my travels, I write this to put some context to what I have seen. Interestingly, in my brief research much of the material I found speaks about Japan having a cultural history that reflected sustainability and provides a framework for the challenges faced nowadays. One article on the “Worldchanging” website (a personal favourite) offers the following:

“Today Japan depends on overseas imports for 80 percent of its energy, 60 percent of its food, and 80 percent of its timber. In contrast, during the Edo Period, because Japan was a closed country, there were no imports from overseas. Everything was done using energy and resources obtained within country.

Because all resources were regarded as precious, plenty of businesses evolved to deal with re-use and recycling. There were businesses that specialized in repairing metal goods; special tradesmen who would repair wooden barrels and pails used to hold liquids. During this era, everything was repaired properly and used as long as possible. Paper lanterns and locks were repaired, mirrors were polished, and so on.

Specialized businesses would purchase waste paper, used clothes, and used pails. There were even businesses that would buy the valuable wax drippings from candles and use them to make new candles to sell, and businesses that would buy the ash left from burning fuel wood and sell it to farmers as fertilizer. At a time when, in Europe, human waste was thrown out of windows and diseases like the Plague spread across the land, in Japan, even human waste was used as a precious resource to be bought and sold. In fact, human waste from the richer neighborhoods apparently went for the highest prices because it had the highest nutrient content!

Since long ago, people used certain expressions closely related to concepts of sustainable lifestyles - expressions like taru wo shiru, which means "Be satisfied with what you have," and mottainai, which means "Don't waste!" One expression I am very fond of is seoi mizu, mizu means "water "and seoi means "you carry on your shoulder", which literally means "water you carry," although this term is not commonly used any more. Behind this saying was the idea that when you are born, you carry with you all of the water you will use during your lifetime. Basically, this saying taught us that if we use something wastefully, we will be in trouble later on in life, so we must use everything very carefully. This expression said it all in just a few words.

These are glimpses of the sustainable lifestyles that the Japanese were living then. But in the midst of the postwar reconstruction after Japan was defeated in the Second World War, an emphasis was put on hard-working and technological advances. Society and the economy were rebuilt upon a system that promoted consumption, with the idea that "consumption as a virtue." The idea of "catching up and passing" captures the spirit of the day. Even today, now that Japan has joined the ranks of developed countries, I believe it has not yet escaped this developing-country mentality.

What about Japan today? The picture is not a simple one. We are told that adults and children do not smile as much as they used to. Suicide rates have risen, and the environment is deteriorating. But while we are often faced with depressing news, we can also sense the beginning of change and the beat of a new era. Progress is evident in the development of a variety of environmental technologies, which you can read at our JFS information database, and Japan is actively transferring them to developing countries in particular in Asia. A lot of people are also asking themselves what true happiness really is…. (excerpt of article by Junko Edahiro, Balaton Group, from Worldchanging, 2009)

Many of Japan's businesses have published their Sustainability Reports online, including companies like Seven-Eleven, and the Japan for Sustainability (JFS) project initiative featured in my search responses. JFS was established in 2002, as a non-profit organization providing information on developments and activities in Japan that lead toward sustainability. A browse through the material on their website provides a wealth of information on projects, initiatives, timelines, outcomes, and indicators of progress. I personally believe that a similar initiative at the Australia-wide level is long overdue, tying together the various State and local Government initiatives in a concerted initiative towards an “Australia for Sustainability”.

As is the case when comparing the sustainability initiatives of other nations with our own, there are positives and negatives on both sides. In comparing our own use of land for urban and rural activity, I couldn't help but feel that we Australians are quite wasteful, but our sense of Australian culture and place is inherently linked to the perception of “a wide brown land”, with space to spread and cultivate. Yet looking at the continuing sprawl of our major cities, with longer distances travelled between home, work, school and play, increased commute times, pressure on transport infrastructure and increased reliance on private cars, I felt there was much we could learn from the highly urbanized cities of Japan, even if it came with a steep learning curve.

We Australians have always considered ourselves to have a healthy outlook on life – happy go lucky, and seeking to achieve a balance between work, play and rest, with a workplace approach that seeks to support it. However, a review of the more recent media reveals articles saying we are working increasingly longer hours, enjoying life less, with fewer hours available for family and friends – perpetually connected to work through email and phone.

I'm not suggesting that Japan has got it all “in the bag”. As is the case with sustainability worldwide, the nature and scale of challenges faced vary from place to place, but with issues such as climate change and quality of life representing overarching and common umbrella issues to address. Across the globe, communities, cities, states and nations are taking on the “sustainability journey” in different ways. Afterall, sustainability is as much about process, being a goal for both behaviors and outcomes.

Australia has its own fair share of challenges and successes, and the opportunity to see with my own eyes the successes and challenges of a completely different place brings home to me two key points – we have come a long way, but we all have a long way to go.