Burn

First a disclaimer. I smoke cigarettes. I know that they are bad for me will probably kill me early or make me ill, but I for now at least I choose to smoke because I like something they give me physiologically.

I'm used to not being allowed to smoke in bars and trains and in other spaces in the UK and I'm cool with that. Honestly I am. I'm comfortable with stepping outside for a smoke. I travel so much to the United States that I'm also used to not smoking within fifteen feet of a doorway. I'm cool with that too.

One of the things that I have noticed about Tokyo on my first visit here, is that I'm not permitted to smoke a cigarette on the street. Pairs of wardens patrol the streets issuing citations to tabbing transgressors.

This has two immediate benefits. The streets of downtown Tokyo are clean. Squeaky clean. Unlike London, Manchester or Manhattan, Tokyo kerbsides and pavements are not littered with fag ends. The most noticeable product of not smoking on the street is that restaurant and office doorways are not crowded by smokers. I'm especially cool with that.

In the UK, the smoking ban pushes smokers outside to the closest available space. Walk down any high street and you'll see (and smell) smokers crowded outside pubs or clubs. Drive through any industrial or business park and you'll see factory and office workers crowded outside their workplaces. Even as a smoker, this creates a poor impression.

In contrast, in Tokyo, every second block or so, you will find a dedicated, undercover smoking area, with large ash containers (not the pitifully small wall-mounted slots you'll find outside most British pubs) and ample seating. Effectively the Japanese are saying we respect your right to smoke, but as we would rather you don't do it on the street, we will provide somewhere comfortable for you.

Rather than treating smokers as second-class citizens, Tokyo has created a system that both respects the rights and comfort of smokers and non-smokers alike, improving the environment for everyone.