Japanese Food Courts

In most shopping malls, there are food courts, which means, the place where there are many restaurant stands so you can choose what you want to eat, buy the food and then go to a table and eat.

Kurashiki Food Court

In most countries, when you finish eating, you carry the tray with the empty dishes (normally plastic) and take them to the trash can. And then, you leave the tray on top of it and go away.

In Japan, things are a little bit different. For example, not all the restaurants give plastic dishes to throw away, some of them give real dishes, especially those serving soup noodles. So, you have to return them to the place where you bought. There are designated places to do so, in all the stands, like this:

Leave your dishes here!

 

So, be japanese, enjoy your meal and then return your plates. If you get plastic dishes, throw them in the trash can and then take your tray to the food stand. Also, don`t forget to separate the kind of garbage between plastic, paper and liquids (there is a special place to put the remains of your drink, such as ice).