Volunteers declare war on graffiti in Shibuya

Participants pose for a commemorative photo in front of the cleaned mascot character. This moment is the most rewarding, they say. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

In early December, a group of people were seen working hard under an elevated railway track near JR Ebisu Station in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, moving their hands against a wall marred by countless stickers and spray-painted scrawls in red, blue and other colors. They held cloths and putty knives in their hands, and all were the same logo on the back of their shirts, saying, "CLEAN AND ART."

"This graffiti is terrible," they complain. "The sticker won't come off at all."

However, despite their seeming annoyance, the young men and women continued to apply specific chemicals to remove the graffiti and did not give up their fight with the sticky dirt.

People remove stickers stuck on the image of Pipo-kun, the mascot character of the Metropolitan Police Department. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

The 78-year-old head of the Higashi-Ebisu town association looked at them gratefully and said: "We can't cope with it all. We're very thankful for their assistance."

The young volunteers gathered for the cleanup at the request of CLEAN & ART, a general incorporated association in Shibuya Ward. The predecessor of the association was formed in 2018 by people including members of a nonprofit organization that was doing such activities as cleaning up trash on streets. The group gained the status of a general incorporated association in June 2019. Since then, the association has been working on erasing graffiti at about 20 locations in the ward after obtaining permissions from building owners and the ward government. The total number of participants has reached to about 300.

With "Erasing Arts" as their slogan, the group has posted photos on social media, showing participants working while sporting their logo and posing after finishing a cleanup. The group's aim is to expand interest in their activities to other people by emphasizing that cleaning can be stylish.

Men and women erase graffiti inside an underground passage, which was marred with graffiti despite being cleaned in December 2018 and again in February 2019. Underground passages, places under elevated railway tracks and back alleys off busy streets tend to be targeted by graffitists. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

"I'm happy to be of service to society while enjoying myself," said a 22-year-old university student with satisfaction. The student is from Suginami Ward and was participating in the event for the first time.

The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will be held this year, and many people will come to Tokyo from all over Japan and abroad. Ken Sobajima, 40, a representative of CLEAN & ART, said, "I'd like them to enjoy the beautiful towns and feel the Japanese sense of beauty."

Participants walk on busy streets checking graffiti while they choose where to clean next time in Shibuya Ward on Dec. 4. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Ken Sobajima's smartphone is seen displaying pictures of graffiti. More than 5,000 pictures of graffiti are recorded and classified according to their characteristics on his phone. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

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