Cardboard

Hello, and welcome to Japanology Plus.
I'm Peter Barakan.

Our theme for today is cardboard.

With the arrival of COVID-19, all of us
started spending a lot more time at home.

And with an increase in online shopping,

the arrival of cardboard boxes like these,
and some a lot bigger,

became an everyday occurrence.

Japan is one of the largest consumers
of cardboard,

with an average of 150 new boxes used
per person, per year.

Japan also has quite advanced
cardboard technology,

and there are a lot of new
products developed all the time.

A case in point being the cardboard beds

that were used at the Olympic Village
in the recent Tokyo Olympic Games.

So join us today for a closer look
at the world of Japanese cardboard.

Our first stop is a cardboard maker
in Chiba Prefecture, not far from Tokyo.

Good morning. Nice to meet you.

Hello. Nice to meet you too.

Cardboard is all around us in daily life,

and I'll be sharing some insights
on the subject.

Let's get started.

OK.

Our guest is Professor Saito Katsuhiko
of Kobe University.

He studies cardboard packaging techniques

that allow for the safe
transportation of goods.

We start in the
cardboard maker's showroom.

All kinds of products are on display.

Is there a definition of
what cardboard is?

In Japan,

people usually think of something
with three elements.

There are two surface layers,
made from thick board.

And between them is corrugated board.

This design was invented
over a hundred years ago,

and it has barely changed.

They got it right on their first attempt.

I find that fascinating.

A member of staff is going to tell us

about some of the
company's widely used products.

In supermarkets, cardboard boxes
aren't just used to carry products;

they're used to display and promote them.

We've recreated that here.

I would have thought
we were in a supermarket, to be honest.

Why are the corners squashed in like that?

If you're putting boxes
on top of each other,

it's helpful to tuck the corners in.

-They stack up better. Got it.
-Right.

They're easier to stack.

Just here,
we have a display of fruit and vegetables.

These containers are made
of cardboard too.

Cardboard displays like this are light,
and easy to assemble.

They're often used in
supermarkets and pop-up retail spaces.

We have developed boxes
that are very easy to open.

They can be put onto the shelves as-is,

and used to display the products.

OK. It makes it easy for the people
who are stacking the shelves.

I see.

Does this come off very easily?

Yes. You start from here.

Oh I see.

So you just push in on this.

Right.

Then pull.

Hold on.

OK. It does come off very easily.

OK.

This is for holding strawberries.

The cardboard is shaped in such a way

that the plastic boxes of fruit
don't touch the bottom of the box.

Strawberries are pretty delicate,

and this helps to keep them safe as
they're being transported.

OK.

Next, have a look at this.

Haha. What!?

It's a cardboard box that's full of water.

Cardboard generally doesn't react
very well to getting wet.

But this box has a special
waterproof coating.

You wouldn't know.

It feels like regular cardboard.

Why carry things like this

in a cardboard box rather than
in a plastic box, for example?

Even with this coating,
the cardboard can be recycled,

and made into a brand-new box.

So it's good for the environment.

Oh OK, so we're talking about ecological
concerns here.

Here's another box
that's pretty interesting.

OK.

That looks like a fairly normal box to me.

Let's see how it's assembled.

There we are.

Previously, boxes for vegetables
were secured using metal staples.

You'd fire them in with a staple gun.

But this box
can be assembled without them.

Staples are tough to remove!

Yeah, those staples
in cardboard boxes are really thick,

and they're all hell to get off.

Yeah, yeah.

Next, a product designed to
help mail-order goods arrive safely.

Let's say you've ordered an item,

but there's lots of space left in the box.

This cardboard sheet,
which has slits cut into it,

can be placed over the product, like this,

holding it securely
in place during delivery.

That is a really good idea.

Since it's made of cardboard,

it can be recycled together with the box.

COVID-19 led to greater demand
for home deliveries.

The company developed a system

that automatically creates a box
of the ideal size for each product.

It makes boxes that fit the dimensions
of each product perfectly.

Then it ships them out.

It's an automatic system.

When a product is ordered,
it enters the system via a conveyor belt.

It passes a series of sensors.

They detect its measurements instantly.

A machine cuts a box based
on those dimensions.

The box is assembled,

sealed shut,

and finally, sent out to the customer.

When you send products out,

the cost varies depending
on the size of the package.

The bigger it is,
the more it costs to send.

The main goal of this system
is to minimize costs by always using a box

by always using a box
that is just the right size.

Really well thought out.

I'm seeing a lot of these things
for the first time,

although we get deliveries
of cardboard boxes almost every day.

I'm assuming
that these are probably unique to Japan.

Well, Japan may not be the only country
to use cardboard in these ways.

But I would say that a desire

to deliver products
with care is part of Japanese culture.

Rather than simply wrapping something,
we'll make sure it looks good.

There's a real dedication
to getting it right.

One of the outstanding things
about Japanese cardboard

is how consistent the quality is.

You can place an order with
any maker around the country.

And the measurements and quality
of the cardboard

will be almost exactly the same.

That reflects the commitment
at those companies

to make the perfect product,
every single time.

It's a deeply rooted idea
in Japanese culture.

Next, we visit a factory
that produces cardboard itself.

It has a large supply of used cardboard.

This is the raw material;

the factory processes around
one million tons of it each year.

Wow. I've often wondered what happened
to our recycled cardboard boxes.

Now I know.

Japanese people are highly accustomed
to recycling cardboard.

It's something we all just do.

The recycling rate is over 95 percent.

Really?

It's extremely high.

There are some dogs over here.

Yes.

They perform an essential task.

The company couldn't do without them.

What are they sniffing out?

Before production begins,

any cardboard with undesirable qualities
must be removed.

Dogs can identify that cardboard by smell.

Excuse me.

I saw the dog found something a moment ago
that you put in your pocket.

What was that?

It's cardboard covered in wax,

which would have an adverse effect
on the products that we make here.

The dog can detect the smell of that wax.

Right.

Thank you.

When you see
dogs like this sniffing around,

I think the automatic reaction
is airports and drugs,

and presumably that's not the case here.

Do you have to train them
to search out particular smells?

That's right.

The smell of fabric softener, for example.

Or incense, soap, and so on.

We get cardboard with smells like that.

And so the daily routine includes training
the dogs to detect those smells.

The fact that dogs are used in this way

illustrates just how seriously

the Japanese cardboard industry
takes quality control.

Let's see a typical cardboard
production process.

The process begins with a pulper.

Inside the pulper,
the used cardboard is mixed with water

and broken down into fibers called pulp.

This is where the pulp is turned
into paper.

First, it is sprayed evenly
onto a mesh belt.

Water content is then removed
by applying pressure and blowing hot air.

The result is a roll of paper,
58,000 meters long,

and each roll weighs 40 tons!

The paper is taken to another factory,
where it is layered.

The corrugated board in the middle
adds durability and cushioning.

The board used
for this is called “corrugating medium.”

It passes through the teeth of two gears,
giving it a wave-like shape.

Then,it is glued between two flat boards.

And the cardboard is complete.

It's cut to size,
labelled with any necessary markings,

and then the cardboard is ready
to be shipped.

The first corrugated cardboard was made
in Britain, in the mid 19th century.

As a lining in top hats,

it helped to absorb perspiration
and improve ventilation.

Later, in the USA,

the same kind of cardboard was used to
package lamps and glass bottles.

In Japan, cardboard production began
in the early 20th century.

Demand shot up in the 1950s,
during the postwar recovery.

Until then,

products were often transported
in wooden containers.

But the demand for timber exceeded supply,

and so the government endorsed
the use of cardboard packaging instead.

As Japan's population increased,

so too did the volume
of fruit and vegetables being transported.

Cheap and light cardboard boxes
became the norm.

In the 1960s,
as the standard of living improved,

large household appliances such as TVs,

fridges and washing machines
became widespread.

That change inspired a new type
of cardboard.

It was more resistant to bending.

The secret to its strength
is the corrugated interior.

It's treated with heat and a special resin
to make it 1.8 times stronger than normal.

This innovation allowed objects
weighing hundreds of kilograms,

such as pianos,
to be transported using cardboard.

Another turning point
for cardboard came in 2011.

Following the Great East Japan Earthquake
and Tsunami,

many toilets, beds and
other emergency goods made of cardboard

were used in evacuation facilities.

Wherever in the world
natural disaster strikes,

light cardboard items that fold flat
can now be expected to play a key role.

Hello.

Hello.

So I understand you make
emergency goods out of cardboard.

Yes, including 41-centimeter-high beds.

Oh, that's the famous cardboard bed.

How long does it take
to put something like that together?

Around three minutes.

What?!

Three minutes?

That's amazing.

Oh I see,
and this all just folds out as well.

OK.

Well that was pretty easy, wasn't it?

How strong is it?

It can bear around 200 kilograms.

Wow.

Why don't you try lying down?

OK.

Well I know the Olympic athletes did,
but...

Excuse me with my shoes on.

It's actually...I mean,
it's firm of course,

and you probably want a mattress
on top of it,

but it's actually quite comfortable.

I could very easily go to sleep right now.

And these are primarily used
for people who've

been forced out of their houses
because of natural disasters?

Yes, that's right.

And look under here.

This serves as storage space for clothes,
food, or other essentials.

And then what looks like an enormous
cardboard box.

It can be used as a toilet
or changing room.

Ah.

Just a little...could with being
a tiny bit higher.

But if you're going to sit down anyway,

it doesn't make that much difference.

You can also use it as a private
work space.

People work in here?

That's right.

It's easy to concentrate.

I like confined spaces myself!

Really?

I get a lot done.

In an emergency shelter,

a mother may use a space like this
to breastfeed her baby.

Having these rooms can make life
in a shelter more bearable.

You'll find stocks of cardboard beds
in many places.

They don't take up much space.

A cardboard bed only weighs around
eight kilograms,

so most people can carry one.

After a disaster,

you could bring cardboard emergency goods
in from elsewhere.

They're very easy to transport.

Exactly.

Yes.

Since the start of the pandemic,

making cardboard art
has become increasingly popular.

Hi, I'm Matt Alt, and this is Plus One.

On today's episode,
I've come to Saitama Prefecture,

which is about an hour and a half away
from downtown Tokyo by car.

I'm here to meet a man
who can turn any cardboard box into art.

What kind of creations await?

Follow me, and let's find out.

Ah, this is the place.

Hello there.

So are you the master of cardboard boxes?

That's me.

His name is Odaka Masaki.

He works as a product designer,

and makes cardboard art in his free time.

It gets a lot of attention
on social media.

Please, teach me your techniques.

Show me your wisdom.

OK, let's go inside.

In here.

Oh wow.

So many different characters.

I see fantasy, I see home décor,
I see yokai, I see animals.

I like imaginary creatures.

It's so lightweight.

Cardboard is very light.

But it's also very sturdy,

so my pieces don't feel at all fragile.

I wouldn't even recognize this
as a cardboard box.

How did you become a master of cardboard?

It started at Halloween.

The evening before,

my kid suddenly asked me
to make a dragon mask,

and I came up with this.

So what are we going to make today?

We're going to make a squid.

A squid.

That sounds pretty complicated.

How are we going to do that?

We'll use cardboard like this.

This is cardboard?

It looks so thin.

Regular cardboard, like this,
is quite thick.

But thinner cardboard is
more densely corrugated.

That makes it easier to create
more detailed designs.

Let's begin.

OK.

First, remove these cardboard shapes.

Oh, it's like a punch out.

I used to play with this kind of stuff
when I was a kid.

Then spray it with this ethanol solution.

Ready?

Water dries slowly,
and that affects the shape of the model.

So Odaka uses quick-drying
ethanol instead.

Fold it like this.

Then bend this part the other way.

Spray the arms.

Wrap each one around this tool.

I see.

It's tough on your fingers at first.

You know, I can really see this...
it's starting to take shape.

Let's make it more 3D.

Bend it with your fingers.

Then wrap it firmly around this tube.

This is really...
this is really turning 3D...

Wow, that really... it's really starting
to look like a squid now.

Remove the tube.

Fold one side over the other,
like a kimono.

Then secure it with a clip.

Add another bend here.

Pinch the top, forming a point.

Take one of these, and roll it up.

Like this.

Push it through here.

That forms the eyes.

That's a...what an idea.

What an idea. Look at that.

There's just one more step.

OK.

Use your fingers to bend the arms,
so it looks like this.

Oh, this is fun.

Yeah. It really makes it look alive.

Remove the clip, and we're done.

It's hard to believe.

The arms are tensed,
as if the squid is ready to strike.

That's the best part.

Gah!

Well there you have it: cardboard art.

Next time you find some thin cardboard
like this,

give it a try yourself.

It's easier than you think!

As cardboard is easy to cut,

it's also a good choice of material
for relief maps.

These three-dimensional dioramas
are being used across the country

as a way to prepare for natural disasters.

They were created in the aftermath of the
Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

Here's the man who thought them up:

Kamijima Hiroshi,
a marketing professional.

He spoke to people
in the tsunami disaster zone,

who told him
that more victims might have survived

if they had known in
which direction to flee.

It's no exaggeration to say
that knowledge of the local topography

became the difference between
life and death.

If you know the terrain,

you can act immediately,
and I think that's absolutely crucial.

In the disaster zone,
Kamijima met Konno Hideki,

who ran a local cardboard factory.

It was damaged in the disaster.

But to raise people's spirits,

Konno created
a cardboard supercar: the Damborghini.

Its name plays on the Japanese word
for cardboard, “danboru.”

Konno's mastery of cardboard
gave Kamijima the idea of making dioramas

that could teach people
about local topography.

At this workshop in Fukushima Prefecture,

high school students will have a go
at making a diorama themselves.

As they put the various pieces together,

they learn about the terrain in the area.

The thickness of one sheet of cardboard
represents ten meters of elevation.

Slowly, the model starts to take shape.

I live around here.

Looking at this,
I realized how elevated it is.

Information from hazard maps

is used to color areas at risk of
flooding, landslides and other disasters.

Shelters and evacuation sites
are also marked.

The children learn
where to evacuate if disaster strikes.

Where to go is different,
depending on the type of disaster.

If you make something yourself it sticks
in your memory.

So if something happens now,
we'll know what to do.

These dioramas,
made from everyday cardboard,

are now contributing to
disaster preparedness all across Japan.

Well, we've seen
all kinds of cardboard products

that I wouldn't have imagined up to now.

Do you see a future where cardboard
can be used for even more

products and services where perhaps
it wouldn't have been before?

Well, here's an example: it's an air duct,
made from cardboard.

They're usually made from metal,
but that's heavy.

Cardboard, laminated with
aluminium foil, is lighter,

and much easier to work with.

This packaging is interesting too.

It's made
from a single sheet of cardboard.

Wow.

Wow. It's really...it's origami, isn't it?

It really is.

God, it really is just one piece of...
one sheet of cardboard.

Yeah. That's...

Can you picture that becoming this?

Nope.

The designs are created by experts.

They come up
with this sort of thing every day.

So, what do you think about everything
we've looked at today?

Normally the cardboard boxes you see
are just cardboard boxes.

The things we've seen today
are far more sophisticated.

I never really even thought about it.

And obviously there are
so many different uses as well.

Wherever there's a need
to transport objects gently and with care,

cardboard is a great solution,

and so I think we'll keep seeing it used
in all kinds of new ways.

I expect to see cardboard more and more
in everyday life from now on.

OK. Thank you very much.

Thank you.