I love reusable eco-friendly grocery bags and my favorite ones are those I got at supermarkets in the US. The other day, however, when I saw a facebook update posted by my cousin, I said, “Wow! They are so cool!”

I instantly clicked on the “like” button and shared the content on my wall. My cousin posted these three reusable bags she made using only used newspaper and glue. She had attended a workshop held by an instructor who taught participants how to make the bags.

My cousin is a commercial designer specializing in package designs. As she is sort of an artist, I assumed she was able to make these stylish bags on her first try. I loved the bags so much and wanted to make them myself. When I asked her if I could learn to be able to make the bag, she responded that anyone could. “You can make the bags whether you are dexterous or not.” is what she said.

Since I was attracted by those coolest bags, I did a Google search to find the detailed information about the bag. The bag is called the “Shimanto Newspaper Bag.” The Shimanto-gawa is a river running in the western part of Kochi prefecture, Japan. The river is famous as one of the most beautiful rivers in Japan with its rich and productive ecosystem and the surrounding beautiful nature, and is frequently mentioned as “the last fresh stream in Japan.”

In 2002, a Kochi local designer, Mr. Makoto Umehara, wanted to protect the natural environment around the Shimanto River and called to people, “Why don’t we use old newspaper to wrap all the goods sold at the stores along the Shimanto River?” In response to the proposal, Ms. Masako Ito, a local housewife, invented a bag made of old newspaper in 2004 saying, “How about using this bag instead of just wrapping goods?” This was the moment the Shimanto Newspaper Bag was born.

Since then, the Shimanto Newspaper Bag has gradually grown in popularity all over Japan, and now the bags are available to nationals through mail order. Part of the sale of the bags is donated to the activities related to environment conservation of the Shimanto River area. It’s awesome, isn’t it? For those who are interested in the bags, an instructor-training course was established several years ago and currently about 250 instructors teach people how to make the bags in their workshops in many parts of Japan. What’s more, the bag that was already introduced at exhibitions held in the US and UK has apparently become recognized worldwide.

What I think is cool about the bag is that it consists of the concept of “mottainai,” meaning “don’t waste,” and origami, the traditional art that every Japanese person recognizes. The bag brilliantly embodies what is called Cool Japan, I think. What I like most about it is that you can make your original bag for yourself using old newspaper from your town anywhere in the world. All you need is newspaper and glue. When the bag is broken over time, why not make another one? I am glad to know today that “eco-friendly culture with a touch of playfulness” like this is being introduced by Japan to the world.

Shimanto Newspaper Bag Nippon Website: http://shimanto-shinbun-bag.jp/index.html
(Japanese only)

Reported by Yukari Aoike, Sugahara Institute