Love munching while walking about and shopping? Well, Japan’s Kamakura finds this habit in poor taste and has asked tourists to not eat while walking.
Kamakura in Kanagawa lies in the south of Tokyo and is less than an hour away from the main city. Once called the political centre of Japan, now is a tourists delight.
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But being a tourist attraction, this city endures a few quirks, the consequences of which are faced by the locals. In April, the city had to release an official order prohibiting people from walking around while eating. The officials claimed that the leftover food in the trash would attract animals and end up creating a mess. This would then become the job of locals to clean the area.
The ordinance is meant to spread awareness about cleanliness rather than to penalize tourists. They will not be charged in case found guilty of violating the order.
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The city attracts many tourists and is visited by approximately 50,000 to 60,000 people each day.
Apart from the obvious reasons for littering and messy clothes, many Japanese people also believe that eating while walking or doing any physical activity is poor etiquette. The origin of this belief dates back to World War II when the food shortage made the people realise its importance.
The ban is not something new and only in Japan, but also Florence in Italy has imposed a ban on eating on the sidewalks, roadways, and doorsteps of the shops and houses in certain parts of the city. This makes a matter of inconvenience and the reason is not food and mess related. The ban here is punishable.