The prevalence of Honesty in Japan – Unmanned grocery shops!

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I am sure most of us have heard wonderful and heartwarming stories of how honesty is so prevalent in Japan. Some common stories are when one loses their wallet in Japan, it is usually returned with all contents intact. Yes, even credit cards and cash! Having come from Southeast Asia, where unfortunately, stories like these are more uncommon than not, my reaction to these stories are usually happiness tinged with a healthy dose of unbelief.

That is, until I recently saw an unmanned grocery shop or in Japan, better known as Mujin Hanbaisho (無人販売所) and literally translated as “no-man selling shop”. The reason for these shops is that sometimes, small business owners in rural areas want to set up shop but do not have the resources to be at the place the whole time. This is because the population in rural parts of Japan is decreasing at an alarming rate – the younger generations do not want to stay in the villages and try to make their fortunes elsewhere in the cities, while the older generations do not want to leave the comfort of their homes which they have been accustomed to for years. Oftentimes because of this, the populations left in these rural areas are old men and women, who do not have the energy to man the shop for long hours. As such, they just place their produce in a shack, label everything with the price, and put a cash box in front of the store!

Buyers who are interested can peruse the goods freely. For foods that need to be refrigerated, there is even an ice box filled with dry ice so that the food does not go bad! After choosing, you can place your goods in a plastic bag and pay for your groceries by dropping your money in the cash box. If you need change for your purchase, there is a change box close to the cash box where you can take the correct amount of change.

I did not buy anything for this visit, but I left with a sense of awe and respect for a culture that has so much faith and trust in each other. These Mujin Hanbaisho (無人販売所) may have just given me a little more faith in humanity!