Japan, Packaging, presentation and plastic

When we travel we try very hard to embrace the local culture, greetings and salutations as well as cultural norms like queuing. Something we’ve struggled with in Japan is the volume of plastic packaging. At home we are relentless in our attempts to reduce plastic, bemoaning the wrapping of cucumbers and eggplants in a plastic cozy. Here in Japan it is astonishing how much plastic trash we accumulated in one day. Granted, a large part of that is due to our purchases of convenience foods for the train. But even dining in at some places involved disposables. I should add that is only chopsticks. When we’ve eaten in the dining ware has often been astonishingly lovely - hand made pottery, lacquerware bowls and bento boxes and folded plates have all been used in the small restaurants we’ve eaten in. Something often imitated at Canadian Japanese restaurants with ugly plastic. 

Perhaps part of our noticing this plastic packaging phenomenon is that there are no trash cans, so you are forced to carry your garbage with you until you reach your accommodation for the night. If you are lucky, you’ll come across a 7eleven or other convenience store which has a mixed trash can. Vending machines only accept bottles and cans. Not plastic packaging or organics. 

From what I can tell, packaging has always been a big deal here. Traditional wooden bento boxes are still available for sale as are the lovely cotton squares historically used as gift wrappers, bags and carrying tools. I bought some, along with instructions on their use. Some of the higher end purchases we’ve made included beautiful paper packaging. Which in one case was then placed in a nice plastic bag. Appearances mean a lot here. I’ve definitely seen reused heavy weight paper bags on numerous occasions. Much as I kept and reused a Liberty’s of London bag for a while. 

Whether the multilayer packaging is plastic alone or in combo with other materials... there is no question it is done beautifully.

I’m hopeful that folks here will go back to those fabric wrappers along with the paper and wood lacquerware - but it requires planning and almost complete societal change.  Convenience traps us all in it’s plastic embrace!  For a society that seems to value the bounty of the ocean over all... there seems to be a complete lack of awareness or polite purposeful ignorance of the micro plastic results of all plastics in our lives... be they beautiful packaging or our clothing.