Tokyo streets, particularly quiet residential ones, are seen as safe places to store certain personal belonging or to perform tasks such as drying clothes. For this reason, I consider the outdoor spaces in front of Japanese homes to perform the role of ‘outdoor closet’.
For example:
And this example from along the Senzoku Nagare stream 洗足流れ:
And a more elaborate example in Meguro:
See also:
the tokyo files: urban design 東京の都市デザイン 
[…] The neighborhood is peaceful, even by Tokyo standards; I was impressed by these shoes being left outside to dry, and example of a Tokyo ‘outdoor closet‘. […]
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