{"id":90329,"date":"2024-06-07T08:55:03","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T23:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/?p=90329"},"modified":"2024-06-08T10:51:07","modified_gmt":"2024-06-08T01:51:07","slug":"re-light-and-local-rides-kamikatsu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/re-light-and-local-rides-kamikatsu\/","title":{"rendered":"Zero Waste Town Kamikatsu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tailor in a zero waste town<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Step on the pedal\u2014\u2014. His sewing machine needle moved up and down, creating a brisk rhythm and stitching together a piece of workwear. Just outside is the Katsuura River, the home of the amago salmon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKamikatsu is beautiful, isn\u2019t it? In the summer, I take the kids to the river to play and catch the fish with our hands. With a 1,300 strong population, Kamikatsu is the smallest town on Shikoku, but more people are coming here and setting up business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He switched off the sewing machine to talk to us. Katsushi Kurokawa took over the tailor business run by his parents, then launched his own brand, Jockric, and opened an atelier in Kamikatsu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDifferent workwear for different workers\u2014that\u2019s the brand concept. Jockrick offers modern styles of bib aprons and Japanese kappogi aprons. I originally worked from the location of my family business in Aizumi Town, about an hour\u2019s drive away. But then I visited Kamikatsu for a project to make uniforms for Rise & Win Brewing company, and I fell in love at first sight with the perfect creative environment. Recently, I even began renting a house so that I can stay overnight and work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Katsushi Kurokawa hits the pedal on his sewing machine. The Jockric atelier is also lined with secondhand sewing machines from the waste station<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kurokawa says he was attracted to the lush nature and moreover to Kamikatsu\u2019s approach. Never mind about how to treat garbage\u2014the town aims to eliminate garbage and not generate it in the first place. Kamikatsu embraces a zero-waste policy, and that is of significant interest to a tailor who upcycles used clothing and makes aprons from fabric scraps generated by apparel companies in the manufacturing process. A zero waste town is great for collecting fabric and also information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurokawa offered to show us around during his break from sewing. Having trained as a motocross racer up to his twenties, on this day he rode a mini velo fitted with a lightweight, durable titanium frame and carbon fork\u2014a model called Around Ti, from the bicycle brand Ciclore by Chinese lifestyle shop RE<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Around Ti can be semi-customized. This bike is fitted with a genuine leather saddle and grips<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


Around Lake Bishu on a mini velo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Step on the pedal\u2014\u2014. His carbon wheels spin smoothly, creating a lighthearted rhythm and gliding through the unspoiled landscape of the mountain foothills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA mini velo is a compact bike, so generally speaking, it isn\u2019t made for hilly roads. But this model has great riding performance, so it\u2019s perfect for casual rides even in an area like Kamikatsu. You really feel like you\u2019re touring through the mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Breezing through the constant ups and downs, Kurokawa led us 4 kilometers north of his atelier to Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center WHY. The complex facility comprises the town\u2019s only waste station, a thrift shop, and a hotel that invites the guests to take part and engage in sustainable living. The complex is dubbed WHY for the questions it poses to consumers and producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI made the curtains when the hotel first opened, and I continue to help out at secondhand clothing reuse events. The permanent staff members are really motivated. I think their eyes and hands play a huge role in the town\u2019s rising recycling rate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center WHY was designed by Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The staff of WHY aren\u2019t the only people passionate about Kamikatsu\u2019s cause. One dedicated resident is Narumi Abe. After graduating from university in New York, she started a career at a foreign-affiliated general contractor in Tokyo, but migrated to Shikoku solo in 2015 and took up natural farming. She has since expanded her chemical pesticide- and fertilizer-free field to 6-tan (about 6,000 square meters). And from the end of last year, she runs Narumi Farm\u2019s Natudo, a vegan donut shop open only on the second and fourth Sunday of each month, offering special donuts that substitute oil, eggs, and milk with rice flour, soy pulp, and soy milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A refreshing break over vegan donuts and organic herb tea from Narumi Farm\u2019s Natudo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And, of course, there is the Rise & Win Brewing Co. BBQ & General Store, which originally brought Kurokawa to Kamikatsu. The microbrewery uses the pure water from the surrounding nature to produce bold, experimental craft beer. How can that not be tasty? The beer is sold by the pint to guests who bring their own growler or bottle. What a perfect reward for the end of the ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a little over 8 kilometers from here to my atelier. On the way back, let\u2019s stop by Tsukigatani Onsen Tsukinoyado for a soak in the hot spring bath associated with the Buddhist monk Kukai, and then the treat of Kamikatsu-don. That\u2019s their signature rice bowl topped with a deep-fried cutlet of Kamikatsu\u2019s mushroom bed-cultivated shiitake\u2014thick, fragrant, as creamy as oyster, and delicious!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurokawa hopped on his mini velo and followed the east bank of the Masaki Dam south. The emerald surface of the reservoir reflects the cherry blossoms in the spring and the golden and crimson foliage in the autumn. Kurokawa tells us the reservoir\u2019s nickname is Lake Bishu, meaning \u201clovely melancholy.\u201d What a perfect name for Kamikatsu, surrounded by the picturesque landscape, conscious and concerned about the future, and taking responsible action. With the hope of following in the town\u2019s footsteps, we stepped on the pedal again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The forest road along Lake Bishu is the perfect cycling course, with the bonuses of kayaking and fishing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Travel Guide<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JOCKRIC RECLAIM<\/a>
62-2 Fukuhara Kawakita, Kamikatsu-cho<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center WHY<\/a>
7-2 Shimohiura, Fukuhara, Kamikatsu-cho<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NARUMI FARM\u2019S NATUDO<\/a>
55-2 Nakatsu, Masaki aza, Kamikatsu-cho<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RISE & WIN Brewing Co. BBQ & General Store<\/a>
237-2 Hirama, Masaki, Kamikatsu-cho
TEL\uff1a0885-45-0688<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tsukigatani Onsen Tsukinoyado<\/a>
71-1 Hirama, Fukuhara, Kamikatsu-cho
TEL\uff1a0885-46-0203<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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