A Night That Made Me Want to Volunteer Again—Even Though I'd Never Been Interested Before

To be honest, volunteering had never really interested me.

I'd helped friends before, but that was simply because they were my friends. Volunteering, on the other hand, had always carried a bit of a "working for free" image in my mind, and I'd never felt inclined to sign up on my own.

That changed on Thursday, October 22, 2026, when I joined my Ur AI teammates as a volunteer at Tokyo Night Market.

Tokyo Night Market is an outdoor event held from October 21 to 25 along the Keyaki Namiki (Zelkova Avenue) at Yoyogi Park. Built around the concept of a "Tokyo × Asia night market," it's a free-admission nighttime festival featuring food from around 50 vendors, live music, DJs, and street performances.

We participated in the environmental volunteer program organized by NPO iPledge. Our shift ran from 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and we were assigned to one of the venue's "Eco Stations."

Our main responsibilities included helping visitors separate waste and recyclables, replacing trash bags, and assisting with waste collection. We also asked visitors to remove the caps and labels from plastic bottles before disposing of them. With everyone's cooperation, we helped support the festival behind the scenes.

At first, I wasn't quite sure what mindset I was supposed to bring as a member of the company. But once the activity began, I found myself simply enjoying the experience as an individual participant.

Before going, I'd thought, "I'll probably feel pretty good after this is over."

But the reality was five, maybe ten times better than I'd imagined. And surprisingly, that good feeling started fairly early in the evening, not just after the work was done.

I was honestly a little moved by how much I was enjoying myself.

Before I Knew It, I Was Hooked on Stacking Cups

An experienced volunteer in our group taught us several clever ways to make the work run more smoothly.

For example, changing trash bags. If you wait until a bag is completely full before unfolding a new one, it can take longer than expected. Meanwhile, people who want to throw something away have to wait.

So the trick is to unfold the next bag in advance, keeping it ready to put in place immediately.

I was impressed by how much smoother things could run with such a simple bit of preparation.

Another thing I learned was how to stack discarded cups.

I noticed the volunteer poking around with a pair of tongs and asked what they were doing. They explained that stacking cups inside one another helps save space in the trash bag. Apparently, it's also a technique commonly used at marathon events.

And for some reason, I found this incredibly fun.

Once I learned the trick, I just kept stacking cups. Before I knew it, I'd built a tower so tall that it started leaning, eventually forming something that looked like an arch.

Someone coming to throw away their trash noticed it and smiled, saying, "There's an arch!"

That made me happy, too. At some point, I was actually looking forward to stacking more cups.

The Place and the People Around Me Made a Big Difference

Our group happened to be assigned to an Eco Station right in front of the stage during a live performance.

While the audience was focused on the show, there were stretches when fewer people came to dispose of their trash. That meant we got to enjoy the music, too.

Honestly, it felt a little like having a front-row seat.

Music was playing, everyone seemed to be having a great time, and the whole night market had this lively, sparkling atmosphere. Even watching the stylish people walking around was fun.

I think being able to help out in such an enjoyable environment was a huge part of why I had such a good time.

Because the activity involved handling trash, I'd initially imagined it might be dirtier or smellier than it actually was. But at the station where I worked, I found the experience much more pleasant than I'd expected.

I really felt like I'd gotten lucky with my first volunteering experience.

Doing exactly the same work in a different environment, surrounded by different people, might have felt completely different.

It made me realize how important the atmosphere and the people around me are—not just what I'm doing, but where I'm doing it and who I'm doing it with.

Moving Without Pressure and Exchanging "Thank Yous"

Throughout the evening, more people than I'd expected looked me in the eye and said, "Thank you."

Every time, it genuinely lifted my spirits.

I found myself saying "Thank you!" over and over, along with things like, "Please remove the cap and label from your plastic bottle before disposing of it."

I didn't count how many times I spoke that evening, but it was certainly a lot.

I usually work from my room, sitting in front of a computer, so I rarely have that many face-to-face interactions in a single stretch.

But this time, I didn't have to worry about what to say or how to start a conversation. I could simply give people guidance, exchange a quick "thank you," and connect with them naturally.

Standing up, moving my body, and focusing on the work in front of me felt incredibly refreshing.

I also think the fact that I was participating as a volunteer made a difference.

In my regular work, I sometimes find myself thinking, "I need to do work that's worth what I'm being paid."

But this time, instead of that pressure, what came first was the feeling that I was there because I wanted to be useful to someone.

And honestly, it felt good to think that I was doing something good.

That's a genuine part of what made the experience enjoyable for me.

But that doesn't mean I spent the whole evening thinking about doing good or making a difference. Quite the opposite—I wasn't overthinking anything. I was just having fun.

There was always something to do, little ways to improve how things worked, and no time to get bored. Before I knew it, the hours had flown by.

It reminded me how much these kinds of experiences can enrich my life.

Seeing Things from the Other Side of the Trash Bin

While I had a great time, working on the waste-handling side also made me notice a few things.

Because I'd spent so much time stacking cups, I started paying particular attention to them.

Some were sturdy, crystal-clear plastic cups. Others were even shaped like champagne glasses.

"These look so well made, yet they're being thrown away after just one use?"

I understand that attractive presentation and a little sense of luxury can be part of the fun at an event.

Still, watching those cups being discarded one after another made me pause.

One thing that was particularly difficult to deal with was ramune bottles.

The ones we handled had plastic bodies with glass marbles inside. To separate the materials properly at our station, we needed to remove the marbles, but the caps were so tight that they were extremely difficult to open.

Something that makes a drink fun and enjoyable can become surprisingly troublesome when it's time to dispose of it.

I hadn't fully appreciated that particular difficulty until I was the person actually dealing with it.

I found myself wishing that the people who design and sell these products would think a little more about how easy they are to handle after use.

At the same time, I realized this was something I wanted to remember whenever I was on the side providing a product or service.

Thinking beyond the customer right in front of us.

The people who clean up after something has been used. The people who separate materials for disposal. The people working behind the scenes, taking on tasks that most customers never see.

I want to be someone who considers not only whether customers and users are happy, but also whether a product or service is manageable for the people who come afterward.

And I want to help build a company, together with my colleagues, that considers not just the customer in front of us, but also the people farther down the line.

That might sound like a rather grand takeaway, but it all started with a ramune cap I couldn't open.

The Same Colleagues, a Completely Different Experience

Most of the time, I communicate with my colleagues through a screen. Even when we meet in person, we're usually sitting in front of our computers.

So being outside, standing and moving around, and doing something completely different from our usual work with those same colleagues felt refreshing.

It was almost like changing the air around us for a while.

Between the music, the interactions with people, and the delicious food, it was such a good evening that I found myself thinking I'd happily do something like this every weekend.

Of course, a big part of why I enjoyed this experience so much was that the environment and the activities happened to suit me.

I don't yet know whether I'd feel the same way about another type of volunteering.

But there were so many things I discovered that I never could have known without actually trying.

I'd even like to try activities I've never done before, such as community litter cleanups, rather than dismissing them without giving them a chance.

If the company hadn't created this opportunity, I probably wouldn't have participated this time.

Sometimes, being given a chance to try something I wouldn't normally choose for myself leads to an unexpectedly enjoyable experience.

It makes me wonder whether all those years I spent without trying volunteering were a bit of a missed opportunity.

I'm grateful to Sandeep for creating this opportunity, to everyone who joined the activity, and to the experienced volunteers who generously shared their knowledge with us.

From now on, I'd like to look for volunteering opportunities on my own, whether or not they're organized through the company.

Being able to do something useful for others while enjoying myself this much.

That's what I discovered that night.