Japan is known for its excessive use of plastic, but the country has recently started making extra efforts to reduce plastic waste. 7-Eleven has replaced its onigiri rice ball wrappers with plant-derived bioplastic, and shops nationwide will be required to charge for single-use plastic bags from July 1 2020. But before the new law comes into effect, Natural Lawson will be encouraging customers to reuse disposable plastic bags by handing out eco-friendly bags with stories by famous Japanese authors printed on them.
The stories written on the plastic bags are curated by Mercari, the popular Japanese marketplace app, as part of the company’s Monogatari project, which started in April. Mercari believes that even though some items lose their value to owners, each and every item has its own monogatari (story) as it circulates from person to person. Acclaimed Japanese authors including Banana Yoshimoto, Isaka Kotaro and Yasutaka Tsutsui have each written a story focussing on this topic and the text of those stories will be printed on plastic bags given out to shoppers at Natural Lawson. The bags are made from 50% biomass plastic, meaning they’re environmentally friendly.
The bags will be available from June 24 to 26, and will be distributed at 138 Natural Lawson locations in Japan. Only 100 bags will be available per shop per day, so we recommend going earlier in the day if you want to snag one.
Reduce your need for plastic – use these Japanese phrases to politely say no to plastic when you're out shopping.
Most popular on Time Out
Look inside Tokyo’s newest Starbucks located inside a greenhouse
The most beautiful places in Japan
Here’s a first look at Studio Ghibli’s new film ‘Aya and the Witch’