Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2009

We all know about giving carrier bags a second lease of life, but did you ever think to use that empty yogurt container in lieu of Tupperware, or turn that orphaned sock into a case for your iPod? The now-mothballed Nihonhacks.com recommends such pearls as making candles from used cooking oil or turning empty plastic tofu containers into soap dishes and pots for growing herbs. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial ’berg: get carried away and soon you’ll be rubbing shoulders with the DIY nuts and circuit-bending wonks at www.makezine.com or www.instructables.com, and trying to construct a solar food dehydrator from scrap plywood on your balcony. Maybe.