HELP THE ENVIRONMENT THE JAPANESE STYLE

Every year approximately 500,000 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide, which means that every minute 1 million of these bags are consumed, and ultimately become garbage. As the human being develops through the years, its life style is changing and therefore the consuming habits are beginning to affect the environment. This

happens every time people enter a daily-need store to get groceries or any type of article that represents a necessity. Since humans only have two hands by nature, it is impossible for us to carry more than two things at the same time. This causes a major crisis to our race that the store owner decides to clear out our dilemma by stuffing our recently bought necessities in the greatest invention ever made before IPHONE; the plastic bag. The impact of this amazing tool is so that the

environment has decided to change in such a way that we no longer understand why is so hot in winter and so cold in the heat of summer. Even though awareness of this trouble had reached every corner of the world only a small island located at the Far East, Japan, has reached enlightenment and created something to decrease the amount of waste generated by the plastic bag known as Furoshiki. WHAT IT IS? Even though it can be traced back as far as the Nara period, the name, meaning "bath spread", derives from the Edo period Japanese practice the use of it to bundle clothes while at the sent or public baths. Before being associated with

public baths, Furoshiki were known as hirazutsumi, or flat folded bundles. Eventually, the Furoshikis uses extended to serve as a means for merchants to transport their wares. In modern days Furoshiki has become a daily used item by the Japanese society. It is said that families usually own from ten to twenty different Furoshiki. Theres not a specific type of Furoshiki, the differences of the cloth depends more on the size and obviously the decoration, mostly because the purpose of it is the same. Now, it can be made of a variety of cloths such as: silk, chirimen, cotton, rayon, and nylon. Furoshiki are often decorated with traditional designs such as flowers, cranes, bamboo trees, etc or by shibori. There is no one set size for Furoshiki, its size can vary from hand sized to larger than bed-sheets. And they are not always squared, a rectangular shaped Furoshiki for example has a better pulling strength along the diagonal than its squared
Different scale models of Furoshikis sizes

counterpart. The most common sizes are 45 cm (17.7 inch) and 6872 cm (26.728.3 inch). This last one is said to be the perfect size to wrap an object with.

Depending on the technique or the type of knot you use, the Furoshiki transforms from just a wrapping cloth to an easy-to-handle bag for any purposes. Its versatility is however, has some limits. For example, they cannot be fastened if the

contents are too big. But a knot in a Furoshiki can be adjustable; you can change the use according to your circumstances. An important feature, and probably the reason why is so appealing, is
Various Furoshiki designs

that Furoshiki can be reuse as many times as possible and therefore it will never be thrown away. Thus Furoshiki reduces the use of raw materials to create packaging or disposable wrapping paper, thereby saving natural resources and energy. Considered by many as the core of the Japanese culture, the Furoshiki, represents more than a simple tradition; a cycle of renovation. Once a present is wrapped using different types of folding techniques, the Furoshiki becomes more than a present, since it carries the heart of the person who grants the gift. Afterwards, when the receiver has opened the present, the Furoshiki becomes a simple cloth again. HOW TO USE IT Its composition allows it to be used in so many different forms that there is certain etiquette for its use, which depends on the purpose it will be used for. For example, in Japan, it is considered improper to offer a gift directly by hand, therefore Furoshiki becomes a nice way to wrap a gift ignoring the shape of such present. Though etiquette is considered a serious issue in Japan, there is a major debate

on the true meaning of Furoshiki used as a nice way to grant a present. The general tradition is that when an object wrap in Furoshiki is offered as a gift, the receiving party is expected to return a different present folded in the
Two homemade bentos wrapped in Furoshiki

same

Furoshiki.

However,

some

people suggest that the Furoshiki should be considered as part of the gift itself, since it is used as gift wrapping. But many things have changed and traditions are being modified by the new set of ideas that come with that transformation. For example, today in traditional weddings most guests attend the ceremony with their gift carried in Furoshiki, but they take it back to avoid a possible misunderstanding. Aside of wrapping a gift, Furoshikis currently popularity has allowed it to become a basic accessory for females. Thus Furoshiki is now used as a fashion item that represents feminity: the handbag. It doesnt matter the place you go, depending on how this cloth is folded, the user can count on having a new handbag every day. Another popular way to use the Furoshiki is to wrap and carry the bento boxes. These last ones are specially designed in order for them to keep fresh all sorts of food and dishes. Once you have placed your food inside de bento boxes you are ready to wrap it up and take it to school, work place or even a picnic. THE TECHNIQUE

Theres no specific technique in which you can use and exploit the advantages the Furoshiki gives you. The way you wrap an item depends on the purpose you give to the Furoshiki and of course the type and form of the object you wish to wrap. Aside from the bento boxes, items such as water and wine (or sake) bottles, books,
Examples of some Furoshiki tecniques

apples and pineapples are usually wrap inside a Furoshiki. The many ways in which you can use this cloth are now found in specialized books and magazines and are available at anywhere and anytime.

MODERN DAYS Even though the Furoshiki now has become part of the daily Japanese culture, its popularity suffered two mayor bumps around the 1970s. The first one was due to the fact that around that time western fashion arrived to Japan to promote the wallet. While the second, was a consequence of the popularity of the plastic bag. As mentioned before, the Furoshiki, regained its past glory because of the impression it has caused to many different environmental organizations. On March 6, 2006, the Japanese Minister of the Environment, Yuriko Koike, created the Mottainai Furoshiki" cloth to promote its use in the modern world and to raise the awareness of the damage disposable litter has caused over the past years. Ive created what you might call a mottainai furoshiki. The Japanese word mottanai means its a shame for something to go to wast e without using at its full potential. The Furoshiki is made of a fiber created from recycle PET bottles, and has a design of birds and flowers drawn by Itoh Jakucho, a painter of the mid-Edo period (Koike, 2006) The environmental awareness along with popularity of the Furoshiki has caused such an impression that Japanese corporations have taken its usage to a whole new level. Nowadays people tend to travel along with electronic devices such as laptops or the popular ipads, therefore important companies such as 9brand and the help of some of the best designing groups, are starting to develop a Furoshiki to wrap up and carry such items.

AROUND THE WORLD It would be great if the Furoshiki, as a motif of the Japanese culture, could bring others an opportunity for us to reconsider all possibilities of a sound-material cycle society. As my sincere wish, I would like to share the culture of the Furoshiki to the entire world. (Koike, 2006) The globalization has allowed for many national products to reach the international markets, and the Furoshiki is not an exception. Now in most countries locals and tourists can find a store specialize in Japanese products. However the fact that it is from Japan, makes it really expensive to buy the product due to the currency of the Yen and the taxes related to it. Also, there are many courses both inside and outside Japan that grants lessons on how to use the Furoshiki properly. For example in Argentina there is a research center dedicate to promote the Furoshiki and its techniques both in the country and in Latin America, through courses open for the public and some private institutions, having trained so far more than 500 people. The world has changed now, and the natural resources are suffering the consequences. The consumption habits just seem to be increasing and the world population just seems to dont care at all. Litter is thrown around the world on a daily basis, plastic bags, wrapping papers and other sorts of disposable garbage, affect the environment.

Nowadays the human wastes have increased, due to the compulsive consuming behavior we now have, therefore it is time for us to start taking action to provide a solution to the environmental damage we are so responsible for. It may not be easy or cheap to buy a Furoshiki outside of Japan, but that doesnt mean you can create your own. The only things you need are a nice piece of cloth made of cotton, a sewing machine and your imagination. It doesnt matter if i ts not original, the important thing is that you start helping the environment. The uses are many and the advantages as well, so when you decide to go to the supermarket, to school or a nice picnic somewhere in the city, consider this: Furoshiki benefits both you and the environment. Use your imagination and start helping the environment the Japanese style. REFERENCES AND IMAGES http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furoshiki http://www.hizen-ya.co.uk/index.php?n=Furoshiki.EcoBag http://art-maddie.blogspot.mx/2011/08/wrapping-techniques-furoshiki.html http://www.env.go.jp/en/focus/060403.html