Like many Tokyoites, Miki Takara, 53, was sipping beer and indulging in specially prepared delicacies at a bar on a recent Friday evening. But something made this scene in Tokyo's western city of Musashino a bit different: At this bar, the only thing separating her from a concrete waste pit was a single pane of glass.

Takara, who works at a local nursery school and came with two colleagues, was visiting the Gomi-Pit Bar (Waste-Pit Bar), a temporary cocktail bar set up within a waste disposal facility as part of an initiative aimed at boosting awareness of environmental issues and waste disposal.

"It's surprising how much garbage is thrown away just in Musashino," she said taking in the sight of the waste pit. "It makes me think I need to do more to reduce trash at home."