Life HuggerThe “Circular Festival” was held at Umekoji Park in Kyoto last year on 27 November, with the aim to collect and recycle old clothes. It comes as one of the efforts under Kyoto City’s “Kyoto Decarbonized Lifestyle Promotion Team: 2050 Kyoto Creation Meeting” to provide choices in each citizen’s life that lead to decarbonization.
What is the “Circular Festival”?
At the “Circular Festival,” there were several areas participants could visit. They include the “¥0 Market,” where you can take home three pieces of old clothes for free, several exhibitions and talk events where participants can learn about reuse and recycling, and food booths that take care of the environment and your body. The numerous events allowed enjoyment for all, regardless of whether they were aware of circulation efforts.
Incidentally, the organizers were conducting a social experiment to measure the amount of CO2 reduction through the reuse of the clothes collected on the day. It is a unique event where they would measure the amount of CO2 reduced and announce the results publicly. It is also an opportunity to learn specifically how much CO2 is reduced through the circulation of used clothes.
¥0 Market
The ¥0 Market is also a project unique to the Circular Festival. From the used clothes, participants can take home up to three items of their choice free of charge. These used clothes come from used clothes collection boxes “RELEASE ⇔ CATCH” placed mainly around Kyoto City.
There was a particularly long line in the morning because it was the centerpiece of the event. Some participants brought their own clothes along while others used the opportunity to get clothes for free, so it’s little wonder why ¥0 Market was so popular. It was impressive to see people from all walks of life, young and old, sorting through old clothes as if they were looking for treasure.
Used clothes collection box “RELEASE⇔CATCH”
“RELEASE⇔CATCH” is a system of clothing collection boxes, implemented with the idea that small actions can allow clothes to be reused. The reuse platform aims to expand within the region as much as possible.
Circular Market
This flea market circulates disused items like reused and remade items into the hands of those within the region who need them. A wide range of booths were on display, from well-known second-hand clothing and goods dealers, to second-hand clothing shops popular among the younger generation, to student groups.
Circulation Festival Natural Marche
The food and drink booths were divided into three areas along the “Nanajo Food Circuit,” including “Natural Marche” (a food and drink booth that uses as little additives as possible,) “Kyoshin Tsunagaru Circuit” by Kyoto Shinkin Bank (supports companies that are focusing on SDGs,) and local restaurants. It was recommended to bring your own cup, chopsticks, plate, etc. You could even bring your own container with a seal-tight cover to take the food home.
mumokuteki cafe&foods “Kasujiru”
mumokuteki cafe&foods is an organic cafe located in Kyoto’s Teramachi Kyogoku shopping district that “rejuvenates your mind and body.” They don’t use eggs, dairy products, refined sugar, meat, fish, or chemical seasonings in the food preparation.
At the Circular Festival, the sake lees from the sake-producing Fushimi area are collected and served as kasujiru (soup made with sake lees.) Just like the store in Kawaramachi, it contains plenty of vegetables grown without using pesticides as much as possible.
Generally, kasujiru contains pork, but this one uses soybean meat as protein instead, made especially for this festival. The richness and tastiness of the sake lees and the carefully grown vegetables were rich with a pleasant taste.
Happo Ryoka “Kyo Stollen”
Akihiro Yasui, a circular economy researcher and author, created Happo Ryoka’s “Kyo Stollen” using food loss and organic ingredients.
Kyoto producers end up with various by-products, such as sake lees, soybean curd refuse, and soy milk. Happo Ryoka, a confectionery shop that operates a collaborative welfare workshop, uses 30% of these ingredients that would normally be thrown away. Focused on the pursuit of taste, the aim is to create a system that will improve all aspects of the future, including sellers, purchasers, producers, manufacturers, society, the global environment, and the future.
“Stollen was born in Germany, but it goes well with ingredients from Kyoto,” shared Yasui, who has lived in Germany.
The berad is an original product with plenty of local flavors, such as plums from plum wine instead of raisins, and a classic Kyoto souvenir, Yatsuhashi, instead of sugar. Besides food loss ingredients, it also uses domestic organic and plant-based ingredients.
At the first bite, you will notice a light acidity. And the more you chew, the more the tastiness of the ingredients will spread in your mouth. Elegant and accented with cinnamon flavor, the bread should last you for a week.
Caffe Miicio Coffee Roaster “Circular Coffee”
This roastery, which uses organic and fair trade beans, is from Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, but does not have a physical store. The reason is to concentrate on roasting.
The used beans are provided to mame-eco, which collects coffee grounds. It is then used to grow vegetables such as mushrooms. On the day of the event, mushrooms grown with coffee grounds were displayed at this booth. “We use good beans, so we have to take care of them until the very end,” said the owner. You can sense his passion and affection for coffee beans.
Although there were varying degrees of interest in circulation and the circular economy, people were able to enjoy themselves and spend time in their own way. Hopefully, fun opportunities to experience and learn about a recycling-based society like this festival will become more widespread.
Originally published on Life Hugger.
