Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2013

Impart a love for the environment into your little charges at mealtimes with Funfam’s bamboo crockery. With plantations only taking three years or so to produce usable growth, bamboo is set to become the world’s savior. But aside from their eco-friendliness, these trendy items are also lightweight, antibacterial and virtually indestructible. And apparently bamboo doesn’t affect the taste of food either, unlike certain other materials we could mention. Buy online, or check out their limited English website. Alternatively hit up Takashimaya, Isetan, or Roppongi’s Ritz-Carlton. Plates come in wonderful shapes and sizes, like the Butterfly Lunch Plate (¥3,150), and the Train Lunch Plate (¥3,150), and you can get messages engraved, too.