<p>It's a real thing called <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%E6%B1%9A%E9%83%A8%E5%B1%8B&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">汚部屋</a> (<em>obeya</em>, literally <em>dirty room</em>). I guess the reason it appears in anime is that it is mildly associated with <em>hikikomori</em> (those who never go out of their room), which is again mildly associated with <em>otaku</em>.</p>
<p>The following contains a list of related anime characters:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://dic.pixiv.net/a/%E6%B1%9A%E9%83%A8%E5%B1%8B#h3_1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">汚部屋</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-18T01:21:45.343Z
I would not say "mildly" but would say "strongly" for the hikikomori point.
Fumikage Tokoyami
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T10:18:12.560Z
2023-07-17T10:18:12.560Z
sundowner
<p>Several anime, and s couple this season, have a trope where the protagonist lives in an apartment full of literal trash.  Trash bags, bottles, cans, etc.  Sometimes the trope only shows up during a move or as part of a cleaning montage, and sometimes it's not the protagonist, but a plot device for an ancillary character or structure.</p>
<p>What is the name of this trope, and why is this a trope?  Does this reflect reality in Japan for some reason?  Or is it an urban myth?</p>
<p>Does it have anything to do with the strange and strict trash pickup schedule in Japanese cities?  Several anime have touched on this, where certain things need to be processed a certain way, and will only be picked up on certain days, and landlords get very fussy about breaking those rules.</p>
<p>I did a few DDG searches, but search has been declining for years, and all I got was commentary/opinion on how all anime was trash.  Searching this stack exchange also yielded no results.</p>

<tropes>
What and why is there a trope about apartments being full of trash?
# What and why is there a trope about apartments being full of trash?
Posted by: username_0 on 2023-07-16
Several anime, and s couple this season, have a trope where the protagonist lives in an apartment full of literal trash. Trash bags, bottles, cans, etc. Sometimes the trope only shows up during a move or as part of a cleaning montage, and sometimes it's not the protagonist, but a plot device for an ancillary character or structure.

What is the name of this trope, and why is this a trope? Does this reflect reality in Japan for some reason? Or is it an urban myth?

Does it have anything to do with the strange and strict trash pickup schedule in Japanese cities? Several anime have touched on this, where certain things need to be processed a certain way, and will only be picked up on certain days, and landlords get very fussy about breaking those rules.

I did a few DDG searches, but search has been declining for years, and all I got was commentary/opinion on how all anime was trash. Searching this stack exchange also yielded no results.
**Tags:** tropes
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2023-07-17. Score: 3
It's a real thing called [汚部屋](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E6%B1%9A%E9%83%A8%E5%B1%8B&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) (*obeya*, literally *dirty room*). I guess the reason it appears in anime is that it is mildly associated with *hikikomori* (those who never go out of their room), which is again mildly associated with *otaku*.

The following contains a list of related anime characters:

* [汚部屋](https://dic.pixiv.net/a/%E6%B1%9A%E9%83%A8%E5%B1%8B#h3_1)
> **Comments:**
> **username_2** (2023-07-18): I would not say "mildly" but would say "strongly" for the hikikomori point.  
---
