Haramaki! - tummy warmer -

My sister sent this from Japan and I was very skeptical at first.
It's called Haramaki. It's basically underwear that you wrap around your waist. (sorry it's not explicit with this pic)

This was an old way to get yourself warm - when building heating system wasn't good. Back then, people used to put on anything they could to keep them warm.
Now that we are in the modern society, we thought we didn't need it any more because it's not sexy and we've got whole bunch of cool ways to warm ourselves.

But then, it's back! And it's back with whole new look. (see the website I linked below)

My sister said it was super warm.

And it is! I think it is back because people decided, after all, that this is much more efficient and comfortable than its modern version competitors!
....this is hard to explain. Can you imagine how much such a small piece of fabric can do to your body? It's pretty thin and fits your body, and when your tummy is kept warm, your whole body feels so much warmer!

If you are trying to minimize your expense, this small cloths can save your some dollars because you can lower the temperature of your home heater 2-3 degrees! And obivously it'll reduce your carbon footprint. I am serious.

Well, honestly, you can't wear your hip-hung jeans with this, but if you are done with that phase, it's for you. I found some interesting story on Haramaki: Check this out.

Eco-cute in English

http://www.mayekawa.co.jp/english/g/e_g02.html
http://www.sanyo.co.jp/comp-unit/english/co2/ecocute.html
http://www.r744.com/products.view.php?Id=63
http://www.itomic.co.jp/english/index.html
http://ex-blog.panasonic.co.jp/exhibition/en/eco2007/

Stay cool! Sensu, Uchiwa and Higasa

Sensu: Japanese old style fan.


World of artisanship.






Uchiwa is also a traditional Japanese fan but much more casual.











Higasa ( parasol) has evolved a lot. Most of today's models cut UV rays.

If you want to mimimize the use of air conditioner, ask people who lived lives without air conditioner! They have so much to offer.

Sensu http://www.kururi.net/SHOP/sensu1.html
Uchiwa http://www.kinuito.com/nshop/feature/uchiwa.php
Higasa http://allabout.co.jp/fashion/fashionitem/closeup/CU20080516A/

Can paper cut paper? - paper made paper knife

This knife is made of paper; uses material called vulcanised fibre. I've never thought that paper could be so hard and sharp to cut paper, but apparently it could.



It was designed so as it minimizes the process such as cutting.

It never gets rust and can be used for long time.


It seems like such familiar material like paper has much more potential than we know.

Designer: Takashi Ashitomi

Ochiwata-fukin by Muji

Last year, Muji (Mujirushi-Ryohin) introduced kitchen cloths made by waste cotton from manufacturing process.

It is called "ochiwata"(I think it means the cotton ends up on the floor during yarning process) "fukin"(kitchen cloths). It is manufactured in Bangladesh at the factory that yarns the cotton in a very traditional way.

Cotton manufacturing had been practised for long time in the region. The product (textile) is purely simple, but suited the humide climate. Unfortunately however, it is increasingly replaced by modern mmanufacturing system and the old style cotton production has become almost extinct.

Muji contracted one of these few surviving traditional manufactures that also make use of waste cotton. Muji's website shows (Japanese, but a lot of pictures) the manufacturing process for ochiwata-fukin. It is interesting to learn the process; what is waste cotton, how it needs to be mixed with virgin material to be yarned, how the final product looks like.

Despite the nature of the product (there is nothing fancy with kitchen cloths), Ochiwata-fukin was a hit! It sold very fast.

What strikes me with this case is that the consumers these days are buying the story behind the product. The story that is as compelling and inspiring as the product itself.

Reminds me of Patagonia.

Photo: Mujirushirohin

Got a broom?

Producing eco-friendly products doesn't always have to be innovative and cutting-edge.

An alternative is to rewind the time till the point where people were living only on renewable energy. In Japan's case, Edo era (1603 - 1868) is often referred as a successful closed-loop & sustainable society.

Check out those brooms (since 1830) that are made of highly-skilled, distinguished broom artisan.

Price ---- $500!!!!!
The price is because it only uses domestically-grown broom materials and is hand-made by the skilled artisans.

Green/LOHAS consumers didn't miss them. The highest price model ($700) is currently out of stock because of the high demand! It is especially nice to hear after the decades where they were almost forgotten.

Going sustainable can mean investing in new technology, alternative energy or innovative concept.

But it can also mean investing in people's knowledge, skills and wisdom that have been quietly accumulated for centuries and centuries. We need to capture them before they quietly die away.

Products by: Shirokiya

mis-eco-mmunication

Like other greenbies, I try to use my reusable grocery bag.

I sometimes go to little local Korean grocery stores in town. They are all very friendly and nice. Unfortunately, they don't know what reusable bag is for.

I place it on the cashier when checking out. Sometimes I get luckey to have someone who asks "what is this?" Then I can explain. But this does not happen often. Today I got someone who was very nice and customer-oriented, but didn't speak English at all. I don't speak Korean at all. I couldn't explain what I wanted.


And this is what happened. As is the case with many Asian countries I guess, service is good. A lot of service is very good. She placed my grocery in so many plastic bags, and then placed them so nicely in my reusable bag.

.........I can't blame her! No I don't want to.

When you are checking out at grocery stores, you don't want to spend 10 minutes to explain what reusable bag is for. You might have so many people standing behind you, or you are with the kids running around, or you are simply in a hurry.

Atop of these, there could be the gap on environmental awareness, coupled with language barrier.

Everybody should remember "I'm not a plastic bag" by Anya Hindmarch.

I wish if someone could come up with self-talking resuable bag; everybody can read what's written on the bag and understand what it is for. And it still can be cool, isn't it?

It will facilitate using reusable bags, and at the same time will educate people who are not aware of what's going on. I guess I'm not the only one who struggle with the checkers who do not know about reusable bags.

Gas hits $3.5! What can I do?

Here in Northern California, the gas price has recently passed $3.5 threshold. I heard that in some coastal regions it's already $4. (When I came to US about 4 years ago it was $1.99!!!)

Well I guess everybody - not only green folks - is thinking about an alternative to driving. Does your community have good public transportation? If not, probably only available alternative is motorbike or bike.

How about a bike? Honestly, I am not physically competitive. I get scared to ride a bike on a bike path because I go too slow, and everybody else goes really fast. I can be a bottleneck on a bike path, blocking others.....


I just wonder if I can ride an easy-going, electric bike like this... This model is for moms who want to carry a child in the basket on the front.

Those are rather slow, easy-going, grocery-shopping bikes which you wouldn't need a helmet. Since it is electricity-powered, it doesn't eliminate me because I am not physically strong.

There are so many different kinds of electric bikes offered in Japan.

I don't want to drive my car to go to the grocery stores in my neighborhood. But I am not physically strong and cannot ride a fast-track bike. Can this be an alternative? Would it encourage more people to choose a bike, or would it add more mess on the road?

Photo: Yamaha

Refilling home products

There are so many home products that are relatively small and liquidish. Shampoo, body shampoo, hand soap, dish washer, detergent, softner, all kinds of cleaners, etc...... They are packaged in a sturdy plactic bottle.

Almost all of them, in Japan, are available in "refill" package. Refill is offered in a package with much less material use. Naturally, they are offered cheaper than the original product.


A survey result shows that the reason why people buy refill is because:


No.1..... It's cheaper (88.6%)
No.2..... It reduces garbage (60.5%)
No.3..... It's environmentally friendly (47.1%)

Usually, "green products" are thought to be more expensive. Organic food is a good example. But dematerializing prodcut can simply reduce the burden to everyone. It can reduce your speding, reduce your garbage and save some materials that might end up in landfill. This is really a win-win situation.


And this shouldn't be difficult to implement.