Liberal talk show host Jimmy Kimmel spoke on his show about how surprisingly clean Japan is in comparison to the U.S. and even Europe, joking that Japanese people associate Americans with garbage.
While American cities struggling with rampant homelessness, crumbling infrastructure and crime is a popular point of discussion in American politics, Kimmel gave a monologue Monday on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” about how a recent trip to Japan shattered his image of what a modern society could look like.
“Here in America, we know we have our faults. We know we have areas for improvement. But, overall, I think most of us believe that, compared to the rest of the world, we’re pretty buttoned-up. I know I did,” he said. “I go to Europe where there are dirt holes where plumbing is supposed to be, and I hold my breath and I go, ‘I’m glad I’m not one of these people,’ and then I go back home, right?”
His recent trip changed his tune, however.
“But now, after traveling to Japan, I realize that this place — this USA we’re always chanting about, is a filthy and disgusting place. We were in Japan for seven days. Not only did I not encounter a single dirty bathroom, the bathrooms in Tokyo and Kyoto are cleaner than our operating rooms here,” he said. “Everywhere you go, the bathrooms are clean. They don’t smell bad, and they have those toilets that wash you from the inside out.”
The talk show host also noted that this is the case not just in hotels, but in “restaurants, bars, truck stops! We went to two truck stops — I swear to God — the bathrooms were cleaner than Jennifer Garner’s teeth.”
Even Japanese streets are astoundingly cleaner than those in American cities, he said.
“There’s no litter. People carry their own trash. There are no garbage cans in Tokyo,” he said. “30 years ago, some terrorists put a poisonous gas in some trash cans. They’re like, ‘Okay, no more trash cans. Everybody clean up after yourselves,’ And guess what? They clean up after themselves. They bring their garbage to their houses.”
He then said that Japan and America are like two famous theme parks.
“It’s like the whole country is Disneyland, and we’re living at Six Flags,” he said. “I’ve been home 36 hours. I’ve never felt dirtier. We are like hogs compared to the Japanese. I can’t imagine what they must think of us. ‘Oh, the garbage people! Yes, the Americans, garbage, yes!’”