194. Spogomi and Urban Uplift_PX

About this episode

This episode discusses the spogomi movement, a competitive sport that transforms litter collection into a joyful community activity.

This episode explores spogomi, the Japanese-born idea that reimagines litter collection as a competitive, team-based sport, transforming one of the least appealing aspects of urban life into something energetic, social, and unexpectedly joyful. We are joined by Masanori (Max) Tamazawa and Kazuhiro (Hiro) Yagasaki of the Spogomi Institute, who trace the evolution of spogomi from a local response to everyday urban waste into a global movement. What began as a way to address litter in Japanese cities has become a structured sport, where teams collect, sort, and score waste within a defined time and place, shifting behaviour from obligation to participation. That shift is powerful. Spogomi reframes public space. The overlooked, the discarded, the “back of house” of the city becomes a site of play, collaboration, and shared purpose. It suggests a different way of engaging with urban environments, where care, competition, and community overlap, and where something unattractive is reshaped into a fun, collective expression. The movement has scaled rapidly. The first Spogomi World Cup in Tokyo in 2023 brought together teams from 21 countries, while the 2025 World Cup expanded to more…

People in this episode

Guests: Masanori (Max) Tamazawa, Kazuhiro (Hiro) Yagasaki

Topics covered

• spogomi
• urban waste
• competitive sport
• community engagement
• public space
• global movement

Keywords

• spogomi
• litter collection
• urban uplift
• community sport
• environmental engagement
• public space

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Spogomi Institute

Places: Tokyo

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