I think that there is a difference between what people are thinking when they sort their trash, and the real reasons it is being sorted.
I`d say that these days the majority of people do it because they care about the environment, because they think recycling is a good thing, etc.
In reality, Japan has limited space for disposing of trash, and towns have limited cash to use to pay someone else to get rid of it. So they sort, and most of the recyclables are sold to China (where I am assuming a percentage gets recycled, a percentage gets burnt, etc.) A small percentage stays in Japan where it is used for ground filler, etc... And a very tiny percentage is actually recycled in Japan.
As long as you pay attention to when you should take your trash out (you usually receive a calendar, if not it`s often posted directly at the trash point... And if that fails you can always check online or ask someone) - I would say it`s really very easy to recycle. If you sort it properly and put it outside on the proper day in the proper spot, it`s taken care of.
I don`t think it`s all that hard to manage - not any harder than remembering when normal garbage goes out (specific day, specific location), and our recyclables are put out in a completely different place depending on the type.
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I could never remember what day was what, and after accidentally leaving some bottles out on the wrong day and being yelled at for it, I pretty much just said "screw it" and threw it all in the garbage.
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Around here, they empty the trash bags into the trash truck - and if someone is doing this they will actually stop picking up the trash for that location. If you live in an apartment or large complex, you can bet everyone else will come to literally kill you for it... No getting away with that type of stuff these days. You could probably slip in some PET and no one would care, but cans and glass.... I dare not even think of the consequences.