The article Living in a world without waste from BBC News is about the Japanese town Kamikatsu which sorts its trash into 34 different categories. The scheme seems to be working well in this small rural town on the island of Shikoku, where residents even combine their trash-dumping trips with shopping to save energy. The town’s mayor went on to say that all residents have to compost their food waste and separate the trash.

Who would have believed the Japanese would ever turn to such drastic measures in recycling? When I lived there 15 years ago, trash was treated as badly as a stray dog. In the little street where I used to live, people just used the whole street as a dumping ground – at least that was my impression back then. Having returned to Japan for the first time in April 2008, I was amazed to see how much more environmentally conscientious the Japanese have become in recycling.

Of course, I think big when it comes to environmental issues as such. It would be great if the Chinese gradually caught on to more recycling measures as well. Three years ago I visited China – there was a non-existent trash awareness in the people, accompanied by a lack of recycling in the country itself.

Personally I might not advocate all of the Kamikatsu’s 34 categories, ten might be sufficient. Nevertheless, a tiny town in Japan has come a long way and this big clean-up act deserves to be called an environmental miracle.

There is a magnificent mix of adventures happening to this 30-something protagonist who is out searching for his ex-girlfriend in modern Tokyo and other places. Murakami, the author, is able to mix the mundane reality of everyday life with some real (!) bizarre moments.

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If you share my passion for Japanese style decor, then you might consider laying out a room – or parts of one – with Tatami.

Tatami is usually placed on top of floorboards which are lined with paper or plastic sheets to avoid moisture.

A tatami alcove is a platform of one or two mats high and is constructed in the corner of a room for displaying flower arrangements or pretty pottery.

When two or three mats are piled on top of each other, then a bench is created.

In Japan tatami is used only indoors, but these beautiful mats should not be confined to indoors only. Tatami can be used outside on the veranda or as a platform for a picnic.

And new Tatami mats smell like fresh hay…

The following shop in Frankfurt was recommended by a fellow Japan forum reader:

http://www.biosaffair.de/

This is Haruki Murakami’s latest collection of stories in paperback. Murakami, who is now widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest living writers, looks beyond the surface of modern Japan.

Each short story is captivating and their common thread is the big Kobe earthquake of January 1995. The stories are not about the quake or its victims, but more about the earthquake’s effects on the living.

The book initially caught my eye since I had been living in Japan during the time of The 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake (M=6.9).

I purchased this beautiful book while living in Japan, and it has given me many moments to dream about my own home. Although I bought it more than 15 years ago, I still use it for references.

The book has more than 120 color photos and 200 black-and-white sketches. It provides a lot of inspiration and ideas for the do-it-yourself enthusiast and shows how to incorporate Japanese design regarding entryways, verandas, interior space, tatami mats, and shoji screens, into western homes.

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