Since ancient times, the Japanese have believed that a life force resides in all creations.

Valuing and caring for the things we use, a "Zero Waste Life."

Pointing the way to better living for a new era.

I wanted to do something that only I could do.

I think it's very meaningful, and even fun,

if something that was thrown away
can become a product that people want.

Odawara, an old castle town overlooking the sea.

Yamamoto Atsushi is here to visit a bicycle shop on the main road.

He's not here to buy a new bicycle...

He's here for innertubes.

Think you can use them?

I'll give it a try. Thank you.

Yamamoto uses discarded bicycle parts to make accessories and other products.

What to do with old innertubes removed during repairs is an issue for the bicycle industry.

You hear that it's not worth the cost,
so they can't be reused.

It's not much rubber and often
impregnated with lots of fibers.

The impurities they contain make tire parts hard to recycle,

and they're generally disposed of by incineration.

I think it would be great if something
otherwise thrown out as trash

could be reborn as something new
that people will use for many years.

Thanks for everything.

It's my pleasure.

Yamamoto has turned one of the rooms in his house into the workshop where he makes his creations.

First, he cuts a slit around half of a complete innertube.

This is actually the most important step.

Innertubes long in service become quite dirty, so careful cleaning is a must.

After all, they rub against the tire and
the rubber wears off onto them.

Even while checking for such things,
it's vital to wash each one by hand.

This is a tube section stitched along both edges and flattened.

The edges are sewn, and making them
into strips is easier to work with.

After placing them on felt and cutting to length as needed...

He sews the sections in place.

But what exactly is it he's making?

He sews on the cut tube from earlier...

Indeed, the item he's making is a handbag.

I only split half of the tube.

That way I can sew it on.

The top section is left round
like the original innertube.

This rather daring idea of making bags from innertubes took quite a while to get right.

It's not just about what will work.

Trying different methods or using
the same innertube in a different way.

You think about all these things,
and then it finally takes shape.

That's the best moment of all.

The result, a handbag unlike any other.

This bag, made from three discarded innertubes,

sells for around 120 USD, and has become a hit.

Yamamoto has been a cyclist since his days as a student.

Bicycles were always something familiar, something he couldn't do without.

I love the exhilaration,
feeling the wind in my face.

When you go places by bicycle,
you see the connections in between.

It's the perfect speed for travel.

Even working in the apparel industry, he still found time to visit bicycle shops.

And one day, a pile of discarded parts in the corner of such a shop, caught his eye.

I just kept looking at it and felt like
there must be some way to use it.

Not just the things discarded by others.

I ride quite often and so I make
a lot of such trash on my own.

I felt it was something I had to do.

Yamamoto quit his job at age 35,

making up his mind to create an upcycling brand, using discarded bicycle parts.

His goal was to create handmade items made with care, regardless of time and effort.

Pretty inefficient, right?

Instead of taking all that time to clean,

it's quicker, cleaner, and cheaper
to buy materials to make something.

For a business that's more efficient,
but it wouldn't be any fun.

There's more character in keeping
the traces of how the material was used.

I thought this way would actually be fun.

This wall rack...

was made with bicycle brake handles.

With its unique form, it's a popular item.

And for this card stand...

he uses discarded chains and wheel spokes.

The base is a short length of chain, while a bent spoke forms the clip.

Even the air stems...

Yamamoto has his own thoughts on using discarded parts, instead of throwing them away.

I think the pace of things is too fast.

We're always looking for something new.

I feel like the things we already have
ought to be enough.

And if people can realize this,
or if my work makes them feel something,

then maybe the world will change,
at least a little bit.

A Shinto shrine not too far from Tokyo.

Yamamoto regularly sells his wares at the market held on the grounds.

Is this a tire?

That's right.
I use bicycle tires and innertubes.

I've never seen anything like it.

Smells like tires. I love that smell.

Shoppers are fascinated by his one-of-a-kind creations.

- Irresistible to a bike lover.
- Yes. The texture is great.

- This is too cool.
- It's a good one.

Keyrings made from twisted wheel spokes.

Try it on.

The design is amazing!

Cool! Really great!

A broken, thrown-out spoke was once part
of the wheel you loved, right?

Being able to wear that, to have it
reborn as something you use again,

the spirit of that is just fantastic.

In this way, he shares his spirit of caring for things and using them well with many others.

Today he's making a lampshade.

It's a very popular item, but it's also one of the most labor-intensive to make.

The parts used:

Disc rotors from the brake system.

Rotors are disk brake system parts, that are attached to the center hub of the wheel.

For mountain bikes, riding hard,
if it gets a bit bent on a rock,

you won't get the best performance,
so you replace them.

And they also just wear out.

Tightening them in a metal jig with an impact driver,

he applies force to the center section bending it into a curved form.

With something like a hydraulic press
you could probably do it in one go.

But this is the way that works for me.

He further rounds the shape with a ball-peen hammer.

A process that continues for nearly an hour.

Yamamoto's steadfast approach to making things overlaps with the reason he loves cycling so much.

Even if you go slowly on a bicycle,
if you keep on peddling,

movement will inevitably result.
You can actually feel the effect.

I feel like life is that way too.

You go forward little by little,
with only your own power,

but progress is the end result.

A lampshade that takes full advantage of the rotor's original shape.

The graceful, curving form is proof of all his painstaking handiwork.

Things we throw away without thinking
can be reborn as something new.

If I can convey that, then maybe people will
change how they think about consumption.

There's another way to do things.
I'd be happy if people see that.