The Blue Shadow Creeping from the Water's Depths: Tokyo and Yokohama, 1858–1900 The history of cholera and sanitation reveals that the garbage problem was not merely an issue of scenery or odor, but lay at the core of public health policy. During the great epidemic of 1858, known as the Ansei Epidemic, numerous deaths occurred, primarily in Edo, enveloping the city in an invisible threat. Because cholera spreads through contaminated water and food, it rapidly proliferates in environments with inadequate management of wells, waterways, and drainage. When accumulated garbage and filth in the town approached water sources, the disease spread through the cracks of daily life.

The Blue Shadow Creeping from the Water's Depths: Tokyo and Yokohama, 1858–1900 The history of cholera and sanitation reveals that the garbage problem was not merely an issue of scenery or odor, but lay at the core of public health policy. During the great epidemic of 1858, known as the Ansei Epidemic, numerous deaths occurred, primarily in Edo, enveloping the city in an invisible threat. Because cholera spreads through contaminated water and food, it rapidly proliferates in environments with inadequate management of wells, waterways, and drainage. When accumulated garbage and filth in the town approached water sources, the disease spread through the cracks of daily life.

Epidemics persisted intermittently throughout the Meiji period, prompting Yokohama and Tokyo to advance quarantine systems and disinfection facilities. Port cities heightened vigilance against imported infectious diseases, accelerating the modernization of waterworks and the development of sewer systems. When Tokyo's modern waterworks began supplying water in 1898 and its adoption spread in the early 20th century, large-scale epidemics gradually subsided. Countermeasures against infectious diseases were thus linked not only to medical care but also to urban infrastructure reform.

The Waste Disposal Act enacted in 1900 marked a turning point. Against the backdrop of infectious disease outbreaks, the disposal of garbage and waste became the responsibility of local governments, and the promotion of incineration was institutionalized. Cleanliness was understood not as an individual effort, but as something that should be supported by systems and facilities.

Garbage flowed into waterways, decayed, and bred pests. Breaking this chain became a crucial urban challenge. The history of cholera quietly continues to tell us that hygienic waste disposal is not merely a matter of aesthetics, but a vital urban infrastructure for protecting lives.