Used chopsticks upgraded from “waste” to “valuable material” by Kawasaki City thanks to ChopValue

They’re very good at using chopsticks.

Every day, millions of people in Japan crack open a bento or dig into a restaurant’s meal while holding a pair of chopsticks that are destined for the garbage once finished, possibly even sooner if one is dropped on the floor. On the bright side, they’re biodegradable compared to plastic utensils, but it still seems wasteful to discard so much material after one use.

It’s something the Canadian company ChopValue has been working to address by developing a method to engineer used chopsticks into a durable and aesthetically pleasing building material. They do this by collecting discarded chopsticks, sterilizing them, and compacting them into a block that’s harder than maple and stronger than oak.

The process has been catching on well, and there are currently ChopValue micro-factories all over the world, with ChopValue Japan having recently opened in 2024 in the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. It goes without saying that Japan goes through a lot of chopsticks, and if this business model can expand across the country, it could result in the upcycling of some 20 billion chopsticks a year.

However, one hurdle to accomplishing this is Japan’s very strict laws regarding waste management. Since chopsticks are considered waste, one would require a special license to be able to collect them from places like restaurants. These are extremely difficult to obtain and are handled by municipalities, meaning ChopValue would have to get a permit in every single city they operate in. Not only that, the restaurants and businesses would also be required to keep detailed records of their chopstick usage and disposal, and that’s not a burden many businesses would be willing to take on.

In the face of this difficulty, ChopValue Japan began working with the Kawasaki City Government on research regarding their techniques for reusing chopsticks. Thanks to this cooperation, the city has officially upgraded used chopsticks from the classification of “waste” to “valuable material.” This means the chopsticks are treated like any normal commodity that can be freely traded and collected without government regulations.

▼ So, keep an eye out for chopstick bins in your area.

Now, before any residents of Kawasaki reading this begin hoarding their own used chopsticks to get rich now that they’re “valuable material,” there is a very important caveat to this designation. Only bamboo chopsticks collected by ChopValue are considered “valuable material,” and any other used chopstick remains as “waste” in the eyes of the law.

Nevertheless, this is a pretty big moment for circular business models in Japan. It set a precedent that ChopValue can take advantage of when setting up micro-factories in other Japanese cities. It also creates a framework that other circular business models can emulate in order to get around longstanding and strict Japanese laws.

With the future looking bright for ChopValue Japan, we might be nearing a day when tossing out disposable chopsticks isn’t creating garbage but creating things we can use in our daily lives.

Source, images: PR Times
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Gundam teams up with 300-year-old daruma maker for wood-carved anime mecha figures[Photos]

It’s a Gun-daruma!

Being a mecha anime, Gundam is very focused on the future. As a matter of fact, it’s so focused on the future that the franchise has made up multiple “Century” and “Era” names for its timelines, freeing it from the need to align its narratives with real-world history as its characters head out into space.

That doesn’t mean that the anime’s mobile suits can’t combine beautifully with traditional earthbound aesthetics, though, and as proof Gundam is partnering with a Fukushima craftworks company that’s roughly 300 years old.

Fukushima Prefecture’s Shirakawa Daruma Sohonpo is one of those companies that’s been around for so long it can’t seem to pin down the exact year in which it was founded, but we know it was about three centuries ago. Now under the guidance of its 14th owner, Shirakawa Daruma Sohonpo’s artisans continue to carve and paint each and every one of their daruma dolls by hand, including their new ones based on Mobile Suit Gundam Seed’s ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam…

…and the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam.

Daruma are made in many places in Japan, but the ones from the town of Shirakawa, where Shirakawa Daruma Sohonpo’s workshop is located, are especially prized. Because Fukushima has heavy snow in the winter, farmers had long periods when they couldn’t work their fields and had to stay indoors. With all that time on their hands, many families spent it honing their artistic skills, with some becoming such proficient craftsmen that they raised the bar for daruma quality in the community to a point where now the whole country recognizes them as among the very best.

Daruma dolls are considered auspicious signs of impending success, and ordinarily you’re supposed to paint in the pupil of one eye when you purchase or receive the doll, make a wish, and then paint in the other pupil when it comes true (or state your goal and paint in the other pupil when you achieve it, if you’re more existentially minded). Since Gundams don’t have pupils to begin with, that’s technically something you can do with these too, though that’d probably end up making them look a little closer to the super-deformed SD Gundam spinoffs than the original ZGMF-X10A and ZGMF-X10A.

The Gundam daruma come in two sizes, 15 and 8.5 centimeters (5.9 and 3.3 inches), with the larger ones priced at 4,950 yen (US$32) and the smaller ones at 3,300 yen. They’re also available in a set that gets you both mobile suit daruma (9,900 yen for the big ones and 6,600 yen for the smaller versions) plus a snazzy wooden box.

The Gundam daruma officially go on sale until August 1. Preorders are open now though through the Premium Bandai website here, giving us a way to secure a Gundam of our own to help cope with the anxiety about Tokyo being about to lose its life-sized Gundam statue.

Source: PR Times, Fukushima Travel
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Premium Bandai
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Tokyo’s new extra-expensive ramen restaurant is dividing opinions, so we tried a bowl

Crab, Claaaaab, and high prices in Asakusa.

Rising prices in Japan have put ramen restaurants in a tricky position, since part of what makes the beloved noodle dish so beloved is that, traditionally, it’s been not only a tasty meal option, but an affordable one too. As inflation continues, though, a growing number of ramen restaurants are now charging more than 1,000 yen (US$6.50) for a bowl of ramen, and crossing over the four-figure threshold in price has made restaurant ramen a tougher sell to the general public.

So with that going on, it’s a bold choice by Kani O, a new ramen restaurant in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood, to start their ramen pricing at 2,000 yen a bowl. Bold and divisive, as online reviews and chatter about Kani O, which started serving customers on May 4, have been sharply divided into love-it and hate-it camps.

Making the situation even more complex is that some (though not all) of the negative reviews our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun has seen seem to be from people who haven’t actually eaten at the restaurant. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, some of the most glowing reviews of the place that P.K. has seen come from social media influencers who’re personal acquaintances of Kani O’s owner, mixed martial artist Komeo.

In short, the buzz about the place is a sea of chaos, and so P.K. made the decision to wade into those waters and try Kani O’s ramen for himself (and just to be clear, this was before his heart attack that currently has him in the hospital).

The Kani O name is written in Japanese (かにを) on the storefront, but even if you can’t read the hiragana characters you’ll know you’re there when you see the “SPICY CRAB RAMEN” underneath it and “ARE YOU READY?” across the noren cloth hanging in the doorway. Oddly enough, Kani O calls its standard ramen “The Claaaaab,” with an L, so maybe some of the negative reviews are from linguists.

But P.K. was here to evaluate their ramen, not their spelling, and so he ordered a bowl of The Claaaaab, for 2,000 yen. You can select a spiciness level from 0 to 10, and P.K. asked for his right in the middle, at spiciness level 5.

▼ And yes, that’s a whole soft-shelled crab in the bowl.

Despite its eye-catching coloring, a common complaint online about Kani O’s ramen is that the broth is bland. P.K. started his tasting by trying a spoonful, and while we wouldn’t say it was flavorless, it didn’t have an immediate strong impact on his taste buds either, nor did the level-5 spiciness set his mouth on fire. The primary players in its flavor profile were the umami shellfish notes, making for a surprisingly delicate sensation, and the gap between how the broth looks like it’s going to taste versus how it actually does taste might be contributing to some of the griping about Kani O’s broth being bland, more so than a true lack of flavor.

The noodles are neither thick nor thin, but right in the middle of the bell curve for ramen in Japan.

And then there’s the soft-shelled crab, imported from China and deep-fried before going into your ramen bowl. This is a proper piece of seafood, rich in flavor and even adding some of its aroma to The Claaaaab’s bouquet.

So after trying Kani Wo’s ramen for himself, does P.K. agree with the haters? Not really. In particular, he doesn’t agree wit the criticism about the broth being bland, and instead feels like it’s purposely crafted to have a mild flavor to encourage customers to drink every last drop.

On the other hand, he can see how someone could come away unsatisfied from a meal here, especially at the price of 2,000 yen. That’s a lot to ask for a bowl of ramen, and P.K. didn’t feel like Kani O’s version of the dish is on some sort of completely different level than ramen restaurants with sub-2,000-yen offerings, which aren’t at all hard to find. He’s impressed by the level of originality on display in Kani O’s ramen, but since the flavor didn’t necessarily blow him away, the novelty factor isn’t strong enough to convince him to become a repeat customer.

This puts P.K. in the unusual position of thinking “Yeah, it’s not bad, but not great either” about this love-it-or-hate-it ramen restaurant. However, with nearly a dozen people already waiting to get into the restaurant when P.K. showed up 20 minutes before opening time on a Saturday, it looks like there are currently enough people who love the place, or at least think they will, for it to stick around for at least a while.

Restaurant information
Kani O / かにを
Address: Tokyo-to, Taito-ku, Asakusa 2-22-8
東京都台東区浅草2-22-8
Open 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

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Bizarre Japanese vending machine sells “Peace and Equality” and “Angels and Demons”

We find out just how devilish and angelic these 100-yen surprises are.

Our reporter Natsuno Futon was strolling the streets of Oyama City in Tochigi Prefecture the other day when she came across an unusual vending machine. The first thing that caught her eye was the huge “100 yen” (US$0.63) sign on the front, but then, as she stepped closer, she became even more intrigued.

There, in the window display, were the words “いろんなおもちゃ” (“various toys“), and beneath them: “Contains items worth between 20 and 300 yen“.

As her eyes moved down to scan the second row, she read the words: “平和と平等” (“Peace and Equality”) and then, on the third row, “天使と悪魔” (“Angels and Demons”).

Natsuno had never encountered a vending machine stocked with Peace and Equality and Angels and Demons before, and neither had her children who were with her on this outing. Needless to say, her children were excited to find out what these mystery items were, so Natsuno found herself reaching into her pocket for some 100-yen coins.

With a machine like this, part of the fun is randomly selecting a button to press, and her daughter started by pushing one of the buttons on the top row, which were marked “おもちゃ” (“toys“).

▼ A long cylinder immediately popped out into the tray at the bottom of the machine, and this is what came out of it.

A toy car and five toy coins. From Natsuno’s point-of-view, this was a bit of a disappointment, particularly as her daughter doesn’t have any interest in toy cars or fake coins.

▼ Hoping for something better, her daughter popped a real coin into the machine and pressed a button on the “Peace and Equality“row.

The buttons on the second and third rows read “お菓子” (“sweets“), so they knew this would be something edible. What that would be, however, remained a mystery until they popped the lid on the canister they received.

▼ Oh! That looks like Mochitaro.

Mochitaro is a classic Japanese “dagashi” (cheap snack) consisting of crunchy rice cracker chunks. It wasn’t the only thing in the canister, as it also contained some mango jelly and a small bag of Haribo gummy candies.

For 100 yen (US$0.63), this was a decent deal, and it gave Natsuno and her daughter hope that they might be able to encounter an angel on their next try.

▼ Time to press a button on the “Angels and Demons” row.

What came out, however, appeared to be neither an angel nor a demon, as the canister was ambiguous.

Even after looking inside, they weren’t sure whether they’d been visited by a demon or an angel, as they received six cheap candies that might’ve been worth around 100 yen. The dark hues on some of the packs, including the iconic Black Thunder chocolate, hinted at a devilish selection, but on the other hand, it was a pretty good deal.

▼ Curious to give it another try, Natsuno’s daughter pressed another button…

▼ …and out popped a canister with the word “Devil” printed on it in big red characters.

▼ What was inside?

▼ One puffed wheat snack.

This was definitely devilish – paying 100 yen to receive just one cheap puffed rice snack was a merciless move, and now they were more determined than ever to meet an angel.

▼ One more try.

▼ Success!

The progression from ambiguous canister through to devil and then angel was such a great progression that Natsuno felt it was almost as if there was someone inside the machine, reading the atmosphere and doling out excitement in increasing levels.

▼ The word “アタリ!” (“win!“) was also printed on the canister, adding to the sense of joy.

▼ So…let’s see what the angel delivered.

This was definitely a win, as it was the best result so far, with Natsuno estimating the total value to be more than 100 yen. Emboldened by this result, Natsuno and her daughter went for another try on the toy line, which seemed to present a better deal than the sweet options.

▼ If there’s a chance of winning something worth up to 300 yen, this is where they might get lucky.

▼ They were rewarded with two fun erasers from respected company Iwako, and a dinosaur egg.

Natsuno figured this bundle was worth over 200 yen. It wasn’t bad, but to be honest, she wouldn’t say it was worth 300 yen.

▼ After a total of six tries, here’s everything they received.

It may not have been a huge deal, but the real draw of the machine wasn’t a tangible product visible to the human eye. The real takeaway here was the fun and excitement of wondering what might come out of the machine, and that was worth way more than every deposit of 100 yen.

▼ There aren’t really any other places in the world where you can buy “peace and equality” for 100 yen.

▼ Judging by the containers in the return spot for reuse, there weren’t many angels that day either, so they felt extra blessed to have received one.

If you’d like to try your luck at the vending machine, it’s located under a sign for “NPO Aoringo” on a black building that reads “Ad Promote Co., Ltd.”and we’ve included the address for you below.

Ad Promote operates and stocks these machines, and according to its online shop, “Omoro Shokai” (“Fun Trading Company”), the Omoro vending machines ceased operations in January this year. That means this machine, which we visited in May, is the last of its kind in the country, so if you’re like us and love visiting weird and unusual machines, this is a stop worth putting on your itinerary.

Location information
Omoro Vending Machine / おもろー自販機
Address: Tochigi-ken, Oyama-shi, Awamiya 1-13-41
栃木県小山市粟宮1-13-41
Website

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Japan’s instant ramen snack theme park features an athletic course even adults can enjoy

Sample ramen pizza, alongside other limited-edition items to pick up, or just make your own treats.

Snacks in Japan come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from ever-feuding mushrooms and bamboo shoots to make-your-own sweets, but one that I see fairly often in the hands of little children are packets of Baby Star Ramen. A popular snack made of deep-fried, crunchy, bite-sized pieces of instant noodles, Baby Star Ramen came about in 1959 when the founder of Oyatsu Company realized that the broken noodle fragments left at the bottom of instant noodle production lines could actually be seasoned and packaged up as a snack by themselves.

The Oyatsu Company factory is located in Tsu, Mie, and while factory tours are currently suspended, for those who want to dive into the world of Baby Star, right next door is Oyatsu Town, a theme park offering everything from a giant athletic course to making original Baby Star Ramen, as well as limited-edition food you can only eat there, resulting in an enjoyable experience for child and adult alike.

▼ Sadly, no factory tours are currently available.

Our Japanese-language reporter Natsuno Futon visited the theme park with her kids in tow during Golden Week, one of Japan’s busiest periods for travel and day excursions, so upon arriving and noting that same-day entry was limited until after lunch, it wasn’t too unexpected. So, Natsuno’s first recommendation for any future visit is to always reserve your entry tickets in advance, particularly if you plan to go on a weekend or holiday.

Arriving at the entrance, the first thing to welcome Natsuno and her family was a giant Baby Star photo spot, appearing as if Baby Star was flowing like a waterfall, along with a spot where you could get inside a Butamen cup, Oyatsu Company’s line of instant cup noodles, adorned with designs of Hoshio-kun, the Baby Star Ramen mascot.

Peak season entry is 2,500 yen (US$15.70) for adults, whereas it drops down to 2,200 yen during the Regular days, and 1,600 yen for the Value days.

It’s best to check the company website for absolute clarity, but the general rule seems to be Saturday through Monday is Regular, Tuesday through Friday is Value, and national holidays like Golden Week in May and Obon in August are Peak.

▼ Natsuno couldn’t help but take one last look at the factory, as she really enjoys factory tours, but it sadly wasn’t to be.

Stepping inside, Natsuno was greeted with the company’s history spread out on the floor, designed almost like a board game.

It was quite interesting to learn that the name change to Oyatsu Company was an unexpectedly recent development.

▼ Not at all spoken through the pitch-black sunglasses of denial: 1993 is still very recent.

Proceeding further inwards, a giant athletic area appears, teeming with the Golden Week crowd of people.

While as an adult, Natsuno tends to curb her childhood playfulness and instead let her children loose to gallivant through play areas, she couldn’t quite restrain herself from wanting to join in on the fun. Looking around, she could even see many adults playing there quite seriously, so she embraced her inner child and entered the play equipment.

Among them, what was particularly enjoyable was the Hoshio-kun Giant Slide, which gets quite a bit of speed.

▼ They’re even considerate enough to provide wrap-around skirts to make sliding even more speedy.

The Super Giant Butamen-kun Adventure and Giant Jungle Gym are also extremely fun.

Since you walk on the net, the stimulation to the soles of your feet is amazing, nearing the level where you might mistake it for a minor piece of health equipment.

▼ Natsuno is still a child at heart, she promises.

The most popular one, though, is the giant athletic course consisting of three whole floors, which are divided by height; the first floor is for small children, but the second and third floors offer up more of a challenge.

Natsuno ventured up to the third floor together with her children but had to retire halfway through for a very specific reason: her sweaty hands.

It’s a little difficult to see in the image below, but this is a course where you have to move forward while moving around the outside of orange bars that bulge outward.

With hands that get particularly sweaty, Natsuno could just foresee herself slipping off due to them. Yet, because she wanted to show her children an inspirational figure that takes on challenges even in the face of adversity, plus it was too frustrating to just give up, she attempted it a second time and cleared it safely. However, she later heard from her children, “since we were moving ahead of you, we couldn’t see you.” Sad though she was, she still felt a sense of accomplishment, so it wasn’t all bad.

▼ There is even a section of the park dedicated to interactive digital content that kids can have fun with.

Next, the family moved on to the experience of making Baby Star at Hoshio-kun Kitchen, where you can make your very own original Baby Star Ramen.

For an additional 1,000 yen each to the park entrance fee, the children challenged the “My Special Baby Star,” where you can choose your favorite flavor from several types, season it yourself, and then have the staff bake it for you in the oven.

Natsuno had reserved in advance, but there seemed to be sufficient availability that you could even reserve on the day itself.

After completing the ramen, you put stickers on the original container, though her children instead opted to put on only a few, saving the rest for later to add to their sticker collection albums.

The family came away from the experience with the children beaming with happiness and proud faces for their new creations.

However, being hungry, they decided to swing by Baby Star Dining, where you can savor original foods using Baby Star, such as Baby Star Katsu Curry.

Among them all, Natsuno can personally recommend the pizza, particularly the limited-time Pink Butamen Gratin Pizza, being a lot more authentic than expected.

It’s baked in a pizza oven, so you get that classic pizza base texture, and the pink coloring is added via beetroot instead of food coloring.

The appearance certainly has quite the impact, referencing Butamen and its pig mascot, but the taste has no unexpected quirks and is extremely delicious.

▼ The Ramen Pizza was also full of ingredients and highly satisfying.

Of course, you can eat freshly-fried Baby Star Ramen.

At the gift shop Oyatsu Marche, limited-edition products and character goods are lined up, with Natsuno being drawn to all of the Butamen goods. He just has such a charming presence…

Natsuno also discovered Baby Star limited to Oyatsu Town, this time purchasing the Spiny Lobster Flavor (850 yen for a pack of six), and found it to have a very strong shrimp taste, both rich and delicious.

There was also a cute, little steel suitcase-like container that you could stuff your favorite Baby Star flavors into for just 1,700 yen.

Before walking through the doors, Natsuno had assumed she would be entering a facility designed just for children, but she ended up, even as an adult, enjoying it with all her might.

In the end, from their 10:30 a.m. start, they stayed fully until the closing time at 5:00 p.m., staying more than six hours. With the addition of a new area opening in Spring 2027, there will be even more to get lost in, although prospective visitors should take note that the park will be closed from January 12, 2027, to prepare for this new opening.

Whether you visit with kids or not, it’s all but guaranteed you’ll have a great time exploring Oyatsu Town, just remember to book in advance on the weekends and holidays.

Location information
Oyatsu Town / おやつタウン
Address: Mie-ken, Tsu-shi, Mori-cho 1945-11
三重県津市森町1945-11
Open: 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. (Tuesday–Friday), 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (Saturdays and Mondays), 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (Sundays) However, times can change, so check the website for up-to-date information
Closed: Irregular Days
Website

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