baby steps

Starting today in Japan, plastic shopping bags will cost at least 1 yen (I have seen some shops say they will charge 4 or 5 yen, there was even a shop that was going to charge 15 yen).

This is to decrease the amount of plastic in our garbage.

Apparently though, if your plastic bag is made from 25% or more biomass, you don't have to charge for the bag...of course, a lot of businesses are trying to get on board with this type of bag...I personally don't think they should allow this type of bag, and should go "cold turkey".

Supermarkets in the past would give you 2 or more points on your point card as an incentive to bring your own bags, but I think with this new charge rule, they will probably do away with the point incentive.

I am trying to "train" Satoshi to carry a bag around with him too because he will pay for a bag rather than carry one around.

Me, I'm a penny pincher when it comes to bags and have used washable shopping bags for awhile now, so I am not too worried but will have to remember to carry more than one when going out.

Are you washing your shopping bags?  I wasn't but with COVID-19 I now wash them along with the handkerchief mask that I use that day.

During our "lockdown" I only went to the grocery store once a week but now go three times a week.

With this new plastic bag rule, I hope it will make a difference as to the amount of plastic in our garbage.

tamagawa to kawasaki

Yesterday, the weather was nice.

I wanted to check out a bulk foods shop, so I headed to Kawasaki, which is in Kanagawa prefecture.

Actually, it is close to where we live, only across the Tamagawa (Tama River).

I caught the train to Tamagawa station where I needed to transfer to another train line.

Since I was early and the shop wasn't open yet, I stopped into a bakery that caught my eye from the train...Nora Bakery.

Apparently they recently opened in mid-January...I had their bacon epi and a cafe au lait.

They heated up the epi for me...delicious!

I'll be back when I am in the area.

After lunch, I walked across the bridge to Kanagawa prefecture...

And found Bulk Foods.

You need to bring your own containers, or buy containers from them.

I was interested in buying some almond butter (maybe some peanut butter) and trail mix...

They need to weigh your container before filling, so make sure you tell their staff before filling up.

They didn't have almond butter so I just got some crunchy peanut butter and some trail mix.

The small plastic package of nuts was a freebie I received because the guy at the register couldn't figure out how to sign in to charge my charge card and I had to pay cash.

They are a bit pricey but I'm glad you can just buy the amount you want.

I'll be back.

Before catching the train home, I went shopping for dinner groceries...I noticed this chicken.

I guess they are trying to wean us off of styrofoam because they are packaging the chicken like this...plastic is not ecological either, but I guess until they think of another way to "package" things...

Oh and starting April, you will need to pay for bags at many shops.

Nora Bakery
1-55-10 Denenchofu
Ota, Tokyo
Phone: 03.6459.7037
Closed Mondays & Wednesdays
Hours: 9:00-18:00 (Saturdays & Sundays), 9:00-19:00 (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays)

Bulk Foods
769 Shinmaruko, Nakahara-ku
Kawasaki, Kanagawa
Phone: 044.322.9033
Closed every 3rd Thursday
Hours: 11:00-19:00

this and that

They've been planning to raise our sales tax to 10% but postponed it and it looks like it will finally happen next October...they also plan to keep the tax for essentials at 8% (what the sales tax is now).

Can you believe that tap water will be 10% but that bottled mineral water will be 8%?

If you eat-in at the convenience store your tax would be 10% but if you take out the tax would be 8%.

I think their logic as to what qualifies for 10% and for 8% is backwards.

Especially since with all the take out containers, trash amounts will increase...

Anyway, I hope the government will reconsider and think things through instead of trying to rush to get this thing passed...

On a side note, I was impressed with the butcher in one of the many shops near JR Kamata.

They do not use styrofoam trays.

Instead, you talk to the person behind the counter and they put the meat you purchase into a plastic bag and wrap it with butcher paper. (photo above)

Semi-old school but not totally ecological (I think old school would be for us to bring our own container for them to put what we purchase into) and I like that their prices are comparable with the big supermarkets....

I've also noticed that Minoo restricted the amount of trash we could put out each week (10 liters per person two times a week), where Tokyo doesn't really (45 liters per bag, up to 3 bags, two times a week).

Changing the subject, most of our roadways near our apartment are straight, so from our lanai we can see straight down for miles.

I try to use Google Street View before going on walks, so I can see what the area looks like beforehand, so I won't get too lost. (love technology!)

The other day, I walked down one of the many roadways until it ended and landed near the edge of the Tama River and what they call the Gas Bridge.

If you cross the river, you will be in Kanagawa prefecture.

We've been in Tokyo for almost 6 months, still lots to explore and new things to learn.

mille cafe

Mille cafe is a Denmark coffee filter made of polypropylene.

Supposedly you can use it for 1000 times, so it is supposed to be good for the environment.

Before using, you need to "season" it by pouring hot water onto it for at least a minute.

Then after brewing the coffee, you pour more hot water down the filter to wash out the coffee grains.

I also washed it with a little detergent after using it the first time because the coffee tasted a little "plastic-y".

I wonder if it will really last about 1000 times?!

UPDATE: 4/2014--it doesn't filter cold-brewed coffee
1/2015: it is quite a p.i.t.a. to clean, very messy as you need to pour hot water over the filter to "drain" the coffee grains into a container (garbage bin)....

hawaii drives

My Aunty M drives a Prius, which I got to drive several times.

The feel of this car is...well, it reminded me of a golf cart, especially the gear shift. (Sorry Aunty!)

I'm sure it is great for the environment, but somehow for myself, I would want a little more umph! in a car...something stick-shift.

I love the public transportation in Japan and am not looking to buy a car anytime soon, but...if the MINI people are reading this, maybe they could come up with a hybrid...

eco sight seeing

If you want to see Kyoto without using public transportation, you may want to rent a bicycle.

Tamakikat and I saw these bicycles parked near Heian Shrine. They are from Kyoto Eco Trip. The prices on their site seemed pretty reasonable, plus there is a cool gadget to hold your water.

The link above is in Japanese only (sorry!)

Kyoto Eco Trip
56 Higashikujomuromachi
Minami-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075.691.0794
(near JR Kyoto station)

marukai and other stuff

I don't know about you, but the first thing that needs to get adjusted (besides my internal clock) when I come home are my feet (sorry for the ugly pic of my ugly feet). Not wearing slippers a.k.a. zori or anything similar for long periods of time in Japan, makes itself apparent with blisters between my big and 2nd toes as well as on the sides of my feet where the zori straps touch.

I power walked the length of Ala Moana Shopping Center the other day in a wooden thong and ow...that is what happened...oh, the remnant sunburn line?? That is what happens when you wear ballerina flats on a scorching Spring day in Kyoto...amazing how tan I can get on my feet but nowhere else...

Wednesday's lunch was from Marukai...Mini korean chicken US$2.59 + tax...7 pieces of super crunchy chicken slathered with a spicy sauce. Musubi made from gobo, red ginger and some edamame, and a few slices of takuan...so cheap and so good!

How green is your house? Ours got greener last year. Not only do we have solar panels (which I found out we've had since 1979!), but mom just installed some photovoltaic (sp?) cells.

She had been wanting to install some but was waiting for the price to go down and for someone to start installing them on homes (apparently when they first came out they were only installing them for businesses) She said her electric bill is super low now (US$30 a month). (Way to go Mom! I wish our apartment building in Japan would do something similar.)

musubi keeper

Unless Satoshi has a planned drinking thingy to go to after work, I make a musubi for him to take to work. He usually eats this at about 19:30 or 20:00 to tide him over until dinner (which depends on when he comes home from work, usually at about 22:00 or 23:00 or sometimes even later...)

Once he came home without having time to eat the musubi and the musubi wrapped in saran wrap being in his bag all day, it was flat, pancake flat.

So, I had been interested in finding a container that could be reused, maybe saving me from using a piece of saran wrap every day and would help the musubi keep its shape.

Then, I saw Pikko's blog and she had the perfect gadget. The holder I found was 750 yen (about US$7.50).

The musubi keeper holds a musubi and space for a little okazu (side dish). There is a plastic dividing cover to keep the okazu and musubi separate (see the first photo).

The musubi I made for Satoshi was bigger than what the makers of this keeper envisioned, so I didn't use the plastic dividing cover and just encased the musubi.

I hope the musubi doesn't dry out and it will be able to come out without sticking to the container...

UPDATE: Satoshi says that the container keeps the musubi intact and it doesn't stick to the container either, nor does it dry out...yeah!

Wow, another week has flown by...hope you have a great weekend!

eco-train

The train system in our area run by Hankyu, has come out with an eco-train. I think the figuration is similar to the Toyota Prius (Toyota's hybrid)--whenever the train conductor presses the brakes, the train generates electricity to be used by other trains.

Inside the train, where the advertisements are usually for magazines or sales at department stores, they are instead all about ecology. (This photo was taken on another train line. I've always wondered how they change the advertisments, there is actually "someone" who does it.)

If I'm not mistaken, Hankyu plans to have 1 eco-train for each of their main lines (Kyoto, Kobe & Takarazuka) by July of this year.

I couldn't tell if the ride was any different, but I love the cute drawings on the outside of the train.

using junk mail

Do you have a lot of junk mail? I think we all do. I was reading an article in a free magazine that Satoshi picked up. The article talked about how to turn junk mail into a trash can. (This spurred me to practice making them and eventually turned the magazine into LOTS of little trash cans.)

These are perfect for when you are watching tv or working at the computer and eating something and need to put say the shells into something but don't want to get up to throw them out....or maybe when you go on a picnic or road trip and you want to put some dry trash into something to throw away later. Hopefully, these pictures and my writing will be clear enough for you to understand. (I wish I had video...)

Take a rectangular piece of paper, most junk mail is...and fold it in half and then in half again.

It should look like this. Now, flip it over so that the folded edge is on top.

Take one of the folded edges and bring the edge to the center to make a triangle...it should look like this. Do this for the other folded edge too.

Your paper should look like this. (there should be a gap between).

Now, take the edge on the left and bring it over to the right, like you are flipping a page in a book. Do this for the other side too. (you shouldn't be able to see the gap)

Now, bring the left edge towards the center and the right edge also towards the center. Do this for the opposite side also. It should look like a pentagon.

Fold the straight edge of the pentagon up. Do this for the opposite side.

Now, stick your hand into the "pocket" and open up the box.

Press down on the center of the box to make it flat.

When you open it up, it should look like this. The bigger the rectangle the bigger the box, the smaller the smaller the box.

If you don't open it up, you can stick it into your purse/bag to keep with you whereever you go, you could probably even use these for "that time of the month"....and don't have to waste t.p. (toilet paper) to wrap those "things" to throw out.

So, junk mail which almost always has a negative image doesn't have to be, you could have your kids (the "big" ones too) make them and travel around with them. I'm going to start using them in the kitchen since I don't have a disposal.

If there are parts of this that don't make sense, I'm sorry, maybe if you take a look at the first photo, it will be self explanatory. If not, email me, I'll try to answer your questions.

furoshiki

After seeing La Fuji Mama's post about furoshiki. I had commented and she asked me to post about my Coach furoshiki. (I got the Coach furoshiki when I purchased a fashion magazine here.)

I then went through all my furoshiki....I didn't realize it but I do have somewhat of a collection.

A bunny chirimen (crepe) furoshiki (46 cm x 46 cm).

And the Gion matsuri cotton furoshiki (100 cm x 100 cm).

A Laura Ashley cotton handkerchief that turned into a furoshiki (56 cm x 56 cm).

Sbilla (which I think is a Japanese brand) cotton furoshiki (48 cm x 48 cm).

Cotton tea towel that turned into a furoshiki (48 cm x 48 cm).

And the polyester Coach furoshiki (70 cm x 70 cm). This one is a bit stiff, guess it will take some time to soften.

Here are some ways to use furoshiki from the magazine article--as a means to carry wine, cake, flowers or as a bag.

This site offers techniques on how to tie furoshiki for various objects.

I use the 100 cm x 100 cm furoshiki mainly to carry dishes to pot luck, and the smaller furoshiki to carry bento and mugs to picnics.

If you want to help the environment, want to stop using plastic bags but don't know how to sew, this is a great way to carry groceries and gifts because any squarish piece of fabric can turn into a furoshiki. Also, if you use a nice piece of fabric you could use the furoshiki as gift wrapping and give it away along with the gift inside.

Be creative and do your part to help the environment.

refills, t.p. and rant

In Japan, a lot of items have tsumekae (refills), they usually come in these thick foil type bags that become flat after emptying them into a container.

Most of my cosmetics, laundry stuff and bathroom cleaners come like this. This way, you keep using the container you originally bought and the refills don't need to be sold in a new plastic/glass container.

The other day at the supermarket, I was pondering which t.p. (toilet paper) could give me the most for my money.

The brand that I usually buy (the one on the left), is the cheapest...258 yen (about US$2.58) for 12 rolls.

The brand on the right, was a whopping 468 yen (about US$4.68) for 8 rolls.

The catch...each roll that I usually buy is only 30 meters. The brand on the right, one roll is 90 meters! (3 of my rolls fit into 1 roll of the new brand)

So, the 468 yen is actually like my purchasing 2 packages of 12-rolls...which comes out cheaper than the brand I usually buy. Let's see if it lasts longer.

This next part is a rant....

In Japan, when you buy books, they ask you if you want them to cover your books. I don't take these covers, because it is a waste of a tree. I think it is interesting while riding public transportation to see what people are reading. Only thing is that most everyone in Japan covers their books, so I never know what most people are reading. Satoshi on the other hand, loves these covers. I told him he should make his own cover.

He said he didn't know how. I was shocked. Growing up, we used to take old paper packages and carefully take them apart at the seams then fold them to make covers for our textbooks. When we got home, I showed him how to make a cover, I also bought him fabric covers for his books (the black ones), so he wouldn't need to take the paper covers. Still, he takes these paper covers. I asked him, "are you reading porn?" He immediately replied, "no!"

Me: "Then why do you need to cover your book?"
Him: "It is just one cover, I don't know why you're making such a big deal about it."
Me: "Everyone is saying "it is just one cover"..."

This is just one of the reasons why I think that most people in Japan, the country who preaches recycling and being green, aren't really doing their share.

Another thing that gets me is the cellophane tape on top of the saran wrap at the grocery.

In order to get to the produce that I've purchased, I need to literally pry it open! This usually ends up involving scissors and leaving the saran wrap useless and unusable. I wish they would stop wasting both saran wrap and tape.

Whew...glad to get that out of my system....hope you have a nice week!