Stylish and fun! Make natural and eco-friendly choices for your life

Minimal living tokyo. is a select shop for household goods and cosmetics. They offer products that are environmentally friendly and healthy, with the hope that making stylish and fun eco-friendly choices in everyday life will become the norm.

This time, we spoke with Eri Akai, the shop's representative.

(NeWoman YOKOHAMA Limited Time Pop-up [Love Action])

-Please tell us about the select shop "minimal living tokyo."
Eri: Until recently, there were very few organic cosmetics and household goods with zero-waste aims in Japan, and not many stores carried them. In fact, some people had trouble finding products that were kind to the environment and people, or didn't know how to use them and found it difficult to find the right products for them.

We want to reduce and improve the amount of disposable plastic and packaging waste used in cosmetics and miscellaneous goods, even if just a little.
We want you to enjoy using products that are easy to use and are environmentally friendly.
We want you to feel confident when purchasing products through our filters.

With this in mind, in 2019 I teamed up with a friend I met in Canada to launch a select shop that stocks products based on the zero-waste concept.

(Photo taken in Tofino, BC, Canada in 2013, when I led a tour of the Japanese Ministry of the Environment to inspect rubble caused by the 3/11 earthquake.)

-You seem to value the environment. What first made you start thinking about environmental issues?
Eri: I lived in Vancouver, Canada for 14 years. Vancouver is known as the Green City, and there is no trash on the streets. The entire city is working on environmental issues. Shopping is basically done by selling things naked or by weight, and when buying food, you bring your own containers and buy only the amount you will use. It was also fun to carefully consider and choose what you need. I lived such a sustainable life as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and even studied sustainable fashion as a student, so when I returned to Japan, I experienced a "reverse culture shock" at the amount of disposable trash in Japan (laughs).

A big turning point for me was the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred while I was living in Vancouver in 2011. I regularly participated in charity activities, and one year after the disaster, I even helped remove the huge amount of debris that had washed up on the Canadian coast from the disaster area. As time passed, I was shocked to see the huge amount of debris that had reached a distant country, and I became very concerned about marine pollution. It made me realize once again that we can only continue to live our normal lives if we have a healthy global environment.

(Left: Eli, Right: Saina)

-Your store concept is "zero waste." What is "zero waste"?
Eri: Although it is difficult to reduce waste to zero, zero waste means that we should be creative and review things from the production stage onwards so that they do not become waste.
The products we handle are also specialized in being environmentally friendly and sustainable, with the products themselves being circular, such as those that can ultimately be buried in the soil or reused.

-Could you tell us how you first encountered the term "zero waste"?
Eri: After returning to Japan from Canada, I joined Patagonia Yokohama, a US-based company with environmental conservation as its corporate philosophy. I also worked on marine pollution issues with Canadian acquaintances, and later had the opportunity to work at the newly opened Patagonia Vancouver store.

At the Vancouver store, which has a sustainability concept, the staff were working on zero waste actions. It was here that I first encountered the term, and it remains at the core of my being.

Although there was a gap in the daily work between the local staff and the Japanese staff, it was also an important learning experience, and two years after bringing the teachings of zero waste back to Japan, the Yokohama store was the first in Japan to obtain zero waste certification for apparel. Now, zero waste actions are spreading to stores nationwide.

-Is there anything you pay particular attention to when selecting products?
Eli: I basically select simple and environmentally friendly items.
Products made by manufacturers that promote zero waste or products that contain a high proportion of organic ingredients.
No raw materials that put a strain on the environment are used.
It is vegan and does not contain any animal products or undergo animal testing.
The containers do not use plastic and can be recycled when buried in the soil.
It's also important to know what message you want to convey through your product.

Of course, we also place importance on the comfort of use, and we select only those products that pass patch tests that take more than six months to complete so that products that come into contact with the skin can be used safely by people with sensitive skin and children. We stock products that will make you think, "This shop is trustworthy, so I can buy with confidence!"

-Of the many products available, could you recommend some that are easy to incorporate into your daily routine?
Eli: Vegan dish block!
This vegan dishwashing detergent is made from plants and is popular for its rich foaming and cleaning power. It is environmentally friendly and user-friendly, yet can be used for a long period of time - about 2 months for the regular size and about 7-8 months for the mega size.
It works well with cellulose, loofah sponges, and vegetable brushes, helping the detergent last longer.
Among them, sponges made from loofahs grown without pesticides for 40 years in Toyama Prefecture are safe to use. They also last a long time, and when they can no longer be used, they can be buried in the soil and returned to their original state. Dishwashing detergent is something most people use every day, so you can easily incorporate it into your daily life.

(Vegan dish block)

- The concept of the Patagonia Vancouver store was "sustainable." Recently, the word "sustainable" has been heard more and more in Japan, and it seems that interest and awareness of the word is on the rise.
Eli: I think it's a great thing that people around the world are becoming more aware of sustainability. A career built with hard work, a dream home. Goals you want to achieve and ambitions for the future cannot be achieved by human power alone. I think it's only possible with a good environment as a base. Living a sustainable lifestyle is "a given" when you think about the future of the global environment.

In all aspects of our lives, food, clothing and shelter, we should be as environmentally conscious as possible, make fun choices that suit us and lead happy lives without any stress. By creating a world where this kind of lifestyle is considered "natural" and "obvious," I hope people will come to realize that environmentally friendly things are also people-friendly.

I also hope that Japanese society will become a place where people can speak openly about their opinions.

- Any final words?
Eri: I would be happy if people could use the products from "minimal living tokyo." to realize that eco-friendly and sustainable living can be so much fun and so easy!

Instead of buying things because you want to live an eco-friendly life, buy only what you need when you need it, and use up everything you have now! I think this way of thinking is very important.

Learning one thing can change your awareness. Then your choices can change. I believe that increasing the number of people doing this will lead to a change in the world.

Changing your mindset is a big step that anyone can take.
I want this shop to continue to be a place where people can change their perspective and attitude.

"Minimal living Tokyo."
Instagram: HERE
Official website: here