Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2011
You’re Japanese but your business is bilingual. Did you live abroad? If so, where and for how long?
I spent my childhood, from 2- to 10-years-old, in Scarsdale, New York. I also studied at the University of California, Berkeley for one year as an exchange student.
When did you start becoming “eco” conscious?
I started to become conscious about environmental issues in the fourth grade. I suffered from asthma, and that was the first time I became aware of city air pollution, a classic environmental issue. So, I guess my awareness is a rather old-fashioned “environmentalist” point of view, rather than a LOHAS kind of approach. I was always looking at the issues, thinking of how to tackle each field, but at one point, I started to think that all the problems stem from one cause: our own lifestyles.
How did eco+waza come about?
“Eco” stands for ecology, a way of thinking in harmony with nature. “Waza” means techniques or skills. Since I grew up abroad, Japan has always been a “foreign homeland” for me. Maybe this is the reason why I tended to see traditional Japanese ways or tools from a half-foreigner point of view. I came to realize that the wisdom, craftsmanship and daily tips are often not known internationally or even domestically. So I wanted to spread the Japanese ways of living in harmony with nature by publishing bilingual media.
How often do you publish eco+waza and where can readers find your magazine?
We publish every three months (March, June, September and December.) Readers can find our magazine at major bookstores, usually on the foreign magazine shelf, or through Amazon. We also take subscriptions through our website and publish on Kindle. Also… we use eco-friendly paper, ink and printing processes as much as possible, and ask people to pass around the magazine!
eco+waza seems to be more than just a magazine. Tell us about the products you sell?
Thanks for that. eco+waza is a magazine, website (www.greenjapan.com) and also an online shopping place. We gather eco-friendly products—which we call “tools to green our lives”—from around Japan. The products vary from furoshiki wrapping cloths to soaps, pet shampoo and cast iron pans.
Are your readers, clients and customers Japanese or foreigners?
Half of our readers and customers are foreigners and half are Japanese. It is quite an interesting community, and when we hold bilingual workshops, we usually have a very nice group of Japanese people trying to speak English and foreign people trying to understand Japanese! Our suppliers are mainly Japanese companies, though.
Who is/was your biggest influence?
I would say my grandmother. She passed away a few years ago but she knew everything when it came to living a sustainable life. I wish I could become someone as positive and gentle as she was.
It’s going to be a long hot summer. What are some eco-friendly ways to beat the heat?
For businesses, it’s a chance to rethink of your office buildings. Open the windows or use fans. Let your staff work at home, or move to a building with windows… As individuals, a tenugui is my recommendation. It is a Japanese cotton towel, and if you soak it with water, wring it tight and wrap it around your neck, it really cools you down. Also, using a traditional sensu fan helps. Try out uchimizu too: sprinkle water on the asphalt early in the morning or late in the afternoon before or after the sun is hottest. This will cool down the roads and really make a change, but be sure not to do this during midday because the water will evaporate right away and make it feel even hotter!
For more information visit www.greenjapan.com
You can follow Reina Otsuka on Twitter: @reinaotsuka
