Zero waste, no sweat
Kamikatsu is a town nestled in stunning nature along the mountains of Tokushima Prefecture. While a small town of just 1,400, it caught the attention of the world as one of the first to declare “Zero Waste”, and to embed into a sustainable way of living such as dividing rubbish into 45 classifications, and providing new businesses that provide employment for fit and able senior citizens.
While one might balk slightly at the word sustainable, this hackneyed term clearly has no restriction on the locals enjoying their daily lives. It’s also the kind of place where people care about the fabrics that they wear, so my Teva® should be perfect for hopping around the area.
Hoping to find some choice threads that go with Teva®, we head to the atelier of Katsushi Kurowaka where he makes his “JOCKROC” work wear brand from old clothing and remnants. He shares with us that living in Kamikatsu stimulated his creative awareness and connected him up with other kindred spirits and end users, broadening his project range. Our next stop is “RISE & WIN Brewing Co. BBQ & General Store”, for whom Kurokawa-san once designed staff aprons.
Here, you can choose from various locally-brewed craft beers including a full-recycle beer made using barley grown in nearby fields, with liquid manure made from the lees that are generated in the brewing process. We receive a warm welcome from staff couple Shota and Aki Ikezoe who encourage us to relax and drink up in the knowledge that the more we quaff, the more we are participating in zero waste.
If you need lodgings for the night, the quirky question-mark shaped “HOTEL WHY” is a good bet. With an adjoining 45-kinds-of-garbage stations and a re-use shop for unwanted goods, it’s a hub for the town’s zero waste activities. There’s no need to feel pressure about zero waste. As staff Kaede Nasu explains, “We want people to enjoy separating rubbish and realize that when it comes to the acts of buying, throwing away and choosing, a little thought can go a long way.”
Sensing the passage of time deep in the bosom of nature
”PERTORNARE” is a top-rated Italian restaurant in an old house that could be a travel destination in its own right. Chef Taira Omotehara explains that opening a restaurant caused him to him think long and hard about the reason for running a restaurant and the value of the fare he serves up. The dinner course is recognizably Italian but makes ample use of local specialties, drawing out all the goodness that the ingredients have to offer. For Omotehara, scarcity of ingredients and zero waste does not restrict his cooking, but on the contrary opens up new possibilities.
Waking up still glowing from the day before, we could go hike the mystical and moss-covered Mt.Yamainudake, or take a stroll along the clear waters of the Katsuura River. Situated along the banks of this river is “Pangea Field”, an activity center where kids and grown-ups can enjoy nature alike. It is even calming just to look out at the babbling brook surrounded by nature in all its glory. Breezing towards us on an E-bike is Sil Van de Velde, a Belgian transplant and coordinator of “INOW”, an educational tourism program. He is behind many hands-on programs that bring people and nature together, and is today in the middle of designing an E-bike tour of the town.
Further upstream of the Katsura river, the emerald blue source waters and abundant mountains are a feast of color. Having worked up an appetite, we pop into “Kissa Ikumi” to sample its famous curry in an interior reminiscent of the Showa era. Next we hit up “Café Polestar” for some hot coffee and tasty sweets as our journey comes to an end. Proprietor Terumi Azuma exudes a certain calmness that permeates the interior, and offers up some comforting words: “Rather than fretting about zero garbage, I focused on living in a way that I found comfortable, which led me to feel more free and able to channel a new source of energy.”
I look back fondly on our Teva® tour around Kamikatsu. Basing our daily lifestyles around the things and spaces that feel right to us translates into a healthier environment and society. This was a trip that reminded me what sustainability is all about – a comfortable positive cycle.
“TevaForever” – the recycling program of Teva®
“TevaForever” is a collaboration with recycling partner “TerraCycle Japan” that allows worn-out Teva® sandals to be re-born. Up until now, sandals were throwaway items with a limited life span. This program aims for circular production whereby Teva® sandals can be recycled and reborn into something new, even after years of adventures. Your used Teva® sandals can be collected at no extra cost.
