BY MELINDA JOE, 31 MAY 2013

REVIEW by Poh Qiying:

Ethical eating habits have been on the rise, and restaurants in Japan are also stepping up onto these efforts.  Narisawa, being awarded the first Sustainable Restaurant Award, practice sustainable ways. For example they purchase mostly local produce (paying close attention to the seasons), and the handling of water and waste is appropriate.

However, because of its growing popularity, sometimes the phrase ‘sustainable restaurant’ is simply used loosely as an attractive label to entice people to consume.  The restaurant itself does not act out what is being said.

It becomes more problematic when the consumers themselves do not understand the importance of sustainable ways and why it is necessary (especially in light of the food scarcity problems).  Thus the restaurant can act as a medium to educate people, while at the same time “bringing nature into the city”.

Therefore, I feel that being sustainable is beneficial, especially in the long run in ensuring and securing our future.  Natural resources are further ensured, and waste is properly used.  The old linear pathways of dealing with any resources are now all connected in a continuous cyclical flow. On the other hand, it is difficult to tell if the corporation truly believes in the idea of sustainability or just greenwashing consumers as mentioned in the article.

“Being green” to me should entail certain sense of time, that whatever we do today is going to benefit in the long run.  These benefits are not only for us humans but also for the environment.  It is also equally important to understand that the inputs (local produce) and outputs (waste) of any system need to be thought more carefully of in the road to ‘greening’.

ARTICLE LINK: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/05/31/food/why-it-matters-where-our-food-comes-from/#.Uh-jrD_t84K

Joe, Melinda, 31 May 2013. Why does it matter where our food comes from [online]. The Japanese Times. Available from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/05/31/food/why-it-matters-where-our-food-comes-from/#.Uh-jrD_t84K [Accessed 27 August 2013]

News review by Sebastian Sim

Article:

Fuji Rock: Japan’s clean, green and safe 16-year spectacle by Danielle Demetriou

In her article, Demetriou writes about Fuji Rock, the largest annual music festival in Japan held in Naeba in Niigata prefecture. She describes it as a “quintessentially Japanese event, renowned as one of the cleanest, greenest and safest music festivals in the world.” These features entice performing artistes, both local and international, and revellers all over the world to participate in the festival each year.

According to a director of Smash, the music promotion company responsible for Fuji Rock, the festival is “possibly the cleanest festival in the world”, and its ‘green concept” is a central theme. Various “green” initiatives include:

1. A zero-rubbish policy, where rubbish created is sorted into five categories before being recycled;
2. Other recycling efforts, including toilet paper made from cups and cigarette packaging and jackets worn by staff made from recycled plastic bottles, among others; and
3. Minimal corporate intervention and prohibition of sponsorship banners near performing stages, in a bid to present an “untouched countryside”.

The director interviewed in the article mentioned that “being a Japanese festival, the event is not typical of Western festival style”, and if we recall Demetriou’s statement about Fuji Rock being “quintessentially Japan…”, there is a sense that both of them view Japan as a nation actively involved in ecologically-friendly practices and protective of its environment. In other words, there is a suggestion of Japan being a “green” nation.

It seems, therefore, that the article, despite focusing on Fuji Rock, makes a certain representation of Japan and the environment. It is essentially presenting to the reader a Japanese nation which is clean, “green” and unique compared to its Western counterparts. Such implicit representation, in my view, may well construct an inaccurate perception of Japan in the mind of a reader who possesses limited and uncritical knowledge of Japan.

Reference:

Demetriou, D., 2013. Fuji Rock: Japan’s clean, green and safe 16-year spectacle [online]. The National. Available from:

http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/economics/fuji-rock-japans-clean-green-and-safe-16-year-spectacle#ixzz2cIOzPv8P [Accessed 18 August 2013].