A “mountain of industrial waste” taller than the rooftops near Fushimi Inari in Kyoto… Residents are furious, saying, “We can’t even hang our laundry out to dry, and our cars get covered in dust.”

“We can’t even hang our laundry out to dry, and our cars get covered in dust,” say furious local residents

Fushimi Ward in Kyoto City is home to many cultural assets, including Daigo-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In one corner of this residential neighborhood, a mountain of debris suddenly appeared.Concrete fragments, scrap materials, and soil have been piled high, reaching a height comparable to the roof of a nearby three-story apartment building. It is said that this mountain of industrial waste has been threatening the lives of local residents for over a year.

The industrial waste pile in question is located quite close to the popular tourist spot, Fushimi Inari Taisha. “Why is there a mountain of trash in a place like this!?” A local resident explains the sequence of events.

“About four years ago, a construction company in Uji City bought what used to be a bamboo grove, cleared the land, and started using it as a temporary storage site for industrial waste. It started piling up rapidly about a year ago. It’s about 8 meters high now, but at its worst, it was around 10 meters.

We’ve repeatedly consulted with the local government and the police, but it’s still there. Where on earth do they plan to take such a massive amount of industrial waste? There was even a time when they were operating heavy machinery right on top of the mountain of waste. I was constantly worried that the machinery might roll right down the slope.”

It’s also disrupting residents’ daily lives.

“Whether they’re sorting the waste or not, the heavy machinery is running at full blast during the day, and the noise is terrible. The vibrations are so strong they make the house shake. When the wind blows, dust flies off the mountain of industrial waste, so we can’t even hang our laundry outside.

No matter how many times I wash my car parked in the driveway, it turns completely brown from the dust. The fence surrounding the pile is bent—perhaps it can’t support the weight. It looks like it could collapse at any moment if it rains heavily. There are young children and elderly people living in this area. It’s a real nuisance…” (A female neighbor)

“How long do you plan to take to clean this up?” What was the answer?

When we actually walked around the mountain of industrial waste, we confirmed that the fence surrounding it was indeed warped, with sections that looked as if they might be swept away at any moment.

Currently, Kyoto City is reportedly repeatedly demanding that the construction company remove the waste, but the situation has not improved. An official from the Waste Management Guidance Division of the Kyoto City Bureau of Environmental Policy responded to an inquiry from FRIDAY as follows:

“Strictly speaking, ‘temporary storage of industrial waste’ refers to the process of placing waste brought in from a demolition site on the premises, sorting it, and then transporting it to a disposal facility. Storing it in the same location for years is not permitted.

Regarding the contractor in question, we are aware that temporary storage began in November 2021 and that, since around last fall, the volume has exceeded the maximum storage limit stipulated by regulations. Currently, the removal of waste is proceeding in accordance with guidance from City Hall, and we are issuing administrative guidance to accelerate the pace of removal and rectify the situation by the end of August.”

Is there a timeline for the removal? How are they addressing the series of complaints from nearby residents? We reached out directly by phone to the male CEO of the company that received the administrative guidance.

――We’d like to speak with you about the industrial waste issue in Fushimi Ward.

“I’m currently working on-site, so I’m sorry.”

――Do you have any plans to clear away that pile in the future?

“We’re working on it, we’re working on it. Things are just a bit hectic right now.”

When I followed up by asking, “How long do you expect it to take to clear it away?” he unilaterally hung up on me.

There is still no clear timeline for removal of this mountain of trash, which towers higher than the rooftops. Prompt action is needed to alleviate residents’ concerns.

From the July 31, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*