Reusing and Upcycling: Tradition Bolsters the Power of Recreation

Upcycling is reusing discarded or unwanted items in ways

that deliver products with higher value than the originals.

In Kyoto, upcycling efforts rooted in tradition are becoming more common.

Uji Tea is the leading Kyoto brand of green tea.

Leaves, that do not make the grade, can be used to produce art that pleases the eyes, and the nose.

Some throw them away, but we give them
a second life to be enjoyed another way.

One Buddhist temple with a 500-year history was on the verge of closure.

But it managed to reinvent itself in a unique way by incorporating a hotel.

I want people to see how fusing the old
with the new can create this new style.

I hope the religious world in Japan
will flourish again as it did in the past.

Core Kyoto unravels how people reuse and upcycle food, clothing, and architecture for a sustainable society.

Kyoto has a "kimono" culture dating back centuries.

One woman gives old "kimono" new life as Western-style clothing.

Kitagawa Yoshie.

I repurposed a long-sleeved "kimono"
with a trailing hem into this dress.

Kitagawa's brand upcycles unwanted "kimono" into dresses to suit modern lifestyles.

She offers customers the choice of 10 patterns,

which bring out the best of the original "kimono"'s fabric quality, embroidery, and design.

Kitagawa opened her business after hearing about the dire state of the "kimono" industry.

I originally worked, helping
Kyoto craftspeople.

One of the artisans, a dyer, told me that "kimono"
were in decline and that they needed help.

She searched for ways to develop new products using "kimono" fabric and settled on dresses.

She uses "kimono" that have fallen out of use or are most likely destined to become garbage.

Have you got anything
that's soft in blue?

A formal "kimono".

This one's pretty.

This company deals in dead stock "kimono" and "kimono" fabric,

and "kimono" inventory from wholesalers who have closed shop.

Currently, many unwanted "kimono" in Japan are discarded.

People don't wear "kimono" now, so the value
of this as "kimono" fabric has dropped.

These bolts will slowly deteriorate
if they go unused.

With the westernization of lifestyles, people have fewer opportunities to wear "kimono",

so sales have declined.

It simply saddens me that
Japanese culture is being abandoned.

I'm no different, but there are few settings
in which to wear "kimono."

In dresses, the situation changes and
there are more occasions to wear them.

"Irasshaimase."

"Konnichi wa."

"Arigato gozaimasu."

On this day, a mother and daughter visit Kitagawa's shop

to have one of their "kimono" upcycled into a dress.

Kitagawa also offers an alteration service to individual customers

wanting to remake their precious, unused "kimono."

My parents made me this for
my coming-of-age ceremony.

I later wore it a few times at lively festivals
and my betrothal ceremony.

That was 33 years ago.

Her daughter was the one who chose to remake the "kimono" into a dress.

- You've never worn it as a "kimono?"
- That's right.

Mom thought I wouldn't want
to wear it when I came of age.

She decided herself that I'd
want to wear something prettier.

I never knew
that she had this.

She heard about Kitagawa's business and mentioned it to her mother,

who then brought out this "kimono."

The beautiful material was just what she wanted.

We can use the main design and
this part for a lovely dress.

- Can you use the blueish part?
- Yes.

I'm very happy. It's just too lovely
to be shut away.

I'm elated that it can be reworked into
something my daughter will wear.

A "kimono" is made from a bolt of fabric cut into lengths,

but not tailored into specific patterns.

Kitagawa takes the "kimono" to a workshop that has been in the trade for more than a century.

- A long-sleeved "kimono."
- Yes.

I'll take care of it.

The workshop specializes in the traditional work of reverting "kimono" into fresh bolts of material.

First, the "kimono" is unpicked, and the parts are sewn back together.

Then the fabric is properly washed.

One "kimono" is made from a bolt of fabric about 12 meters long.

Last, the material is steamed to even out the width.

The fabric is hard to cut if it's not
cleaned and reverted to a bolt.

Otherwise it'll wrinkle and
be hard to discern the pattern.

It's best to use all those otherwise
wasted "kimono." I'm glad they have a life.

The dressmaking is handled by a different workshop.

The positioning of the main design is taken into consideration when cutting the patterns.

And the pieces are carefully sewn together to ensure the design is aligned.

The dress is ready for a fitting.

The bottom front of the skirt boasts the most elegant part of the "kimono" design.

The bodice incorporates the design that was on the back of the "kimono."

We upcycle unwanted and unused "kimono"
into Western clothing.

Once the market becomes more aware
that "kimono" textiles can be used like this,

I think more people will want to
create their own "kimono" fabric.

And our upcycling commissions
will prop up the current artisans.

The number of traditional "machiya" townhouses that remain standing in the city is dwindling,

and efforts are being made to conserve them.

The "machiya" on either side of the lane were built more than 110 years ago.

They now collectively serve as a hotel with each townhouse upcycled into a guest suite.

We wanted to use the alleyway
and its buildings,

so we transformed them into a hotel complex
with an Edo-period atmosphere.

The 23 "machiya" along the lane were slated for demolition,

but a developer saved them and converted the entire area into a hotel

with the ambience of an entertainment district of around 300 years ago.

After sundown, lanterns light the way.

Once through the lobby, guests may feel they have been transported to another world.

The developers preserved the original townscape as much as possible.

The modern, Japanesque interiors incorporate the concept of nature in Kyoto.

With the current laws, once a "machiya"
is demolished, it cannot be rebuilt.

Most are now replaced with
new buildings or parking lots,

so we aim to do our best to
preserve and conserve them.

Buildings are being upcycled even in the Buddhist world.

The Shijo-Kawaramachi area is Kyoto's largest shopping and entertainment district.

This building stands near the main intersection.

Inside is the main prayer hall of a Buddhist temple.

Joukyou-ji has a history stretching back centuries.

In 2020, it merged with a hotel for a fresh start.

We had to do it now to ensure this
570-year-old temple survives another 500 years.

The previous structure was close to two centuries old.

Mitsuyama wanted to rebuild, but he hesitated to put out an appeal for donations to his parishioners.

To take advantage of the temple's prime location,

he came up with the idea of rebuilding as a hotel.

I didn't modernize it out of consideration for
the parishioners who remember the old temple.

We used as much of the original building as
we could, such as the pillars and the transoms,

so everyone can fondly
remember the temple.

The new main hall allows everyone barrier-free access with automatic doors, and no stairs or partitions.

Treasures were taken out of storage and put on display in the open-plan prayer hall.

The 100 or so parishioner families were pleased.

I was overjoyed to see the old things
alongside the new things, like this.

Remnants of the old temple building were also reused in the hotel.

The artwork behind reception, titled Turtles in the Waves, was originally roof ornaments.

The elephants at the hotel entrance were column decorations.

Hotel guests are welcome to attend the early morning chanting of the sutras.

The chief priest hopes this gives people unfamiliar with Buddhism a chance to explore the faith -

this is part of the added value of upcycling.

I wanted to show the parishioners
and other priests -

that this is the style which emerges
when you fuse the old with the new.

I hope the religious world in Japan
will flourish again as it did in the past.

These pop-art styled packages hold dried Kyoto heritage vegetables.

Morishita Hiroyuki works at a company that promotes dried vegetables in new ways.

Kamo eggplants, Shougoin daikon radishes and pot herb mustard -

the company processes and sells about 20 Kyoto-grown vegetables.

This range of products evolved from a desire do something with vegetables

that would otherwise be discarded as substandard.

It would be a huge waste to throw away
delicious produce because it is misshapen.

We make effective use of what would have been
discarded and increase its value many times over.

Each vegetable is sliced to a different thickness to suit the vegetable

and make it enticing when dried.

They are dried for 40 hours at a low temperature of 45º Celsius to condense their "umami" savoriness.

Dried vegetables have concentrated flavor, and consumers have found

that when they are used in soups, the "umami" boosts the taste.

The company decided on attractive packaging to entice people to buy dried vegetables,

which tend to have an old-fashioned image.

This initiative is also a win-win situation for the farmers who, in many cases,

have no choice but to discard misshapen produce.

We farmers get a fair price for the produce,
and it relieves us of the job of packaging.

They buy it as is, and this encourages us
to up production. We are grateful.

Another initiative, which tackles the issues of nonstandard vegetables and food loss,

shifts the focus to color.

Do you like painting?

Cool. Look at those different colors.

- Which color?
- Blue.

Among the supervisors is Yamauchi Ruka.

She makes the paints from misshapen vegetables.

She has been producing and selling the paints since 2021 when she was still a university student.

I love playing with kids,

so I thought it'd be fun to paint using
beautiful colors made from waste vegetables.

"Playing with kids," "color,"
and "paints" inspired me.

Yamauchi recently became aware of nonstandard vegetables when she became involved with the family farm,

and she hit on the idea of paints.

Most children only know the perfectly
shaped vegetables at the supermarket.

But I wanted to get the message across
that some of them are discarded and -

that unwanted vegetables can be
turned into something that shines.

Her initiative involves around 20 people, including university friends,

and junior high and high school students.

They search for suppliers and procure the vegetables, which they then freeze dry.

These are then repeatedly ground into a fine powder.

The powder is mixed with tree sap to produce the paints.

One member of the group, Harada Hikaru is an artist.

She insists on using the paints in her own artworks as a way of promoting them.

This is how the color appears now,

but in a year's time it will have altered,
so you can enjoy that contrast.

"Shitsureishimasu."

"Konicnhi wa."

Yamauchi is visiting a farm that grows Manganji peppers, a Kyoto heritage vegetable.

Sekoguchi Atsushi, who heads a welfare organization, opened farms in 2019

to offer on-the-job training for the physically and mentally disabled.

This goes inside.
Be careful on the next one.

Sekoguchi began supplying Yamauchi's group with vegetables,

because he shared her enthusiasm for spotlighting vegetables that have little chance of going to market.

The vegetables are
transformed into colorful paints.

It resonated with me, because I work with
disabled people who also shine as they work.

Yamauchi hopes to expand the scope of nonstandard vegetables

through promotion of the paints.

Everyone uses the all-encompassing term
"food loss."

But we also want to spread the message
that being different can add color too.

These wooden boxes contain flower art.

Complementing the preserved flowers is Uji tea, Kyoto's leading tea brand.

The leaves used are sub-quality and were destined to be discarded.

Some throw them away, but we give them
a second life to be enjoyed another way.

The creators of this art are based in southern Kyoto Prefecture,

the heart of Uji tea production.

Miyoshi Tsugumi infuses scrap tea leaves with new value.

As does her sister, Ishikawa Ikumi.

Miyoshi came up with the idea of using tea leaves in flower art.

Her sister handles design.

Their concept is "tea returns to the plant."

The art does not just delight the eyes, but also the nose.

The aroma especially pleases female customers,
and that makes me happy.

Wazuka is Kyoto Prefecture's largest Uji tea producer.

But despite the labor spent growing the tea trees,

some leaves are not up to par and remain unused.

Miyoshi sources tea leaves from a farm here,

and the farmers are optimistic about the potential of flower art.

I'm happy that the art offers those who like tea
but don't drink it often another chance to enjoy tea.

Ultimately, we too hope our art
will entice people to drink tea.

Young people don't drink much tea
and people overseas don't know Uji tea,

so our art increases their awareness
and leads them to drink tea.

We want to do our best
to connect people and tea.

Kitagawa Yoshie's upcycling effects stretch beyond turning "kimono" into dresses.

On this day, she is visiting Sennyuu-ji, the family temple of the imperial household.

Kitagawa is involved in the temple's upcycling efforts.

The pines here are stunning.

After they are pruned and tidied,
the cuttings are just thrown away.

I take these and turn them into
incense or aromatic sprays.

Kitagawa has the essential oils extracted from the various tree cuttings

for use in the relaxation products made available to temple visitors.

When the trees that have absorbed the temple's
spiritual energy have been cut or pruned,

the cuttings are reused
instead of being discarded.

For the temple, it is a pleasure to know
people everywhere enjoy a part of us.

It's a new idea we would never
have come up with ourselves.

Kyoto residents respect the beauty and values in the traditions cultivated here over centuries,

and are experimenting as they add new value and ideas to these traditions.

They believe it is important to live in the present with an eye on both the past and the future

as they strive to solve Kyoto's social issues.

No matter the means, we should always ponder
the questions of how to enrich people's lives,

how to live, and whether we are
really enriching our hearts and minds.

And we should continue to create
as we confront the answers.