Hiragana Times Archive
This month Selection 1
Mottainai! (What a Waste!)
Kenyan Dr. Wangari MAATHAI, the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize, visited Japan in 2005 and was impressed by the term “mottainai.” Because it combines the eco term “3R” (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) plus Respect in one word, Maathai advocated using mottainai as a common term around the globe. In this feature we will introduce some pieces made out of useless things.
Earrings Made From Plastic Spoons
People usually throw away plastic ice cream spoons and empty face lotion sample bottles after they use them. But KANO Kuniko, owner of the accessories gallery “Gala,” has a way of turning them into nice earrings.
“It all started when I wanted big earrings to go with my clothes but couldn’t find anything made of light materials,” Kano says. What caught her eye were light plastic containers. To her surprise, she could produce fashionable earrings by adding glitter nail polish and various decorations. She says that when she travels overseas on business, flight attendants often ask her where she bought her earrings, and that she always enjoys letting them in on her secret.
Clothes Made Out of Kimono
Having originated in Japan, the kimono is an artistic piece of dyed clothing. But it is worn only on ceremonial occasions and at parties because in everyday life it’s much more convenient to wear regular clothes that are easy to move in and wash. As a result, most people store kimono that have been handed down from their grandparents or parents in a wardrobe or closet at home.
“It’s a shame to just keep your kimono in a wardrobe,” says MATSUSHIMA Kiyoko, who remakes old kimono from the Meiji and Taisho periods into modern clothes. She prefers to use old kimono because she is fascinated by their subdued shades and patterns not found in modern clothes, as well as their silky texture that feels pleasant against the skin.
Her creations combining old cloth with other cloth that she dyes herself are highly original. Matsushima’s bold style involves cutting cloth directly without the use of a dress pattern.
Old Ties Turned Into Fashionable Pouches
Men’s ties that have gone out of style or been stained may appear to have no more use, but MARU Mitsuko, who runs patchwork quilt-making classes, doesn’t let them go to waste. By reusing ties that her husband once wore, Marumi created a pouch and a glasses case. With a fine combination of different patchwork patterns, the pouch can also be used as a handbag for special occasions.
Recycled Art Works Made with Paulownia Boxes
Packaging in Japan is often extravagant – an example is Paulownia wood being used for making boxes for bottles of sake and shochu, and Japanese sweets. Paulownia is a damp proof and antibacterial wood that can also retain heat and is fireproof and resistant to rot. In the past, wardrobes made of Paulownia were especially popular furniture given to daughters who were getting married.
“When you finish drinking or eating what’s inside, you get an empty Paulownia box. These boxes are so beautiful that I saved them all thinking they might come in handy,” says artist IGUCHI Michitaro. He decided to create abstract paintings out of this material that he had at hand.
While most panels are two centimeters thick, one great advantage of using a Paulownia box, which is more than 10 centimeters thick, is that the picture painted on it can stand out rather than looking like part of the wall on which the picture is hung. The wood is an agreeable base for acrylic paint, too. After completing many pieces Iguchi eventually opened a personal exhibition of his work. This exhibition of recycled art provides him with good opportunities to discuss environmental issues with visitors.
“MOTTAINAI Campaign” Expands to Japan
Dr. Maathai, mentioned earlier, had been concerned about the environmental destruction of her home country and started “the Green Belt Movement,” which plants trees with poor women, in 1977. In spite of oppression from the government, 100,000 people have participated in the movement and planted over 40 million nursery trees. After that she advocated using the term mottainai as the world’s common word to save the environment and promote a lifestyle which will not be a burden to the earth. She is now developing a worldwide activity to build a sustainable circulatory society.
In Japan, the Mainichi Newspaper and Itochu Corporation set up the MOTTAINAI Campaign office and started many activities, including hosting flea markets in the suburbs of Tokyo and garbage cleaning events at Mt. Fuji. Also, they support tree planting in various ways, including click fundraising at their official website, and contributing a part of the sales of Mottainai Lifestyle products to Maathai’s planting activities with “the Green Belt Movement.”
Local governments, which sympathized with the campaign, also spread the movement. Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture hosted a “Mottainai National Meeting” last year with a panel discussion under the theme of “Mottainai Saves the Earth,” attended by Dr. Maathai, the former Environment Minister KOIKE Yuriko and others. This March the city set up “Utsunomiya Mottainai Movement Citizens’ Conference,” which consists of city groups, firms and other groups.
Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture hosts events such as “Cycle Festa in Matsudo” with the motto “Town building which respects people, products and nature.” Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture has started to reduce garbage and posted the information on supermarkets and other places as an enlightening campaign. Thus, the MOTTAINAI Campaign is expanding to many areas in Japan.
Text: IKEDA Yukie
(From November Issue 2009)
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