Oga in Akita Prefecture is famous for the Namahage, a listed UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. There is a lot of buzz around Fermented Mayo created by Ine to Agave, a craft sake brewery in the city. The product features sake lees. Sake lees, which would normally be discarded at a rate of 400 tons per year in Akita Prefecture alone, have been turned into a seasoning that may be easily consumed in today’s homes.

The small sizes and low profile of underutilized fish mean that they never make it to market. Osakana Club Hama is a unique sushi restaurant located on the Kashiwa Campus of the University of Tokyo that specializes in serving such fish as sushi. The proprietor has sixty years of experience as a sushi chef. We asked him why he decided to use underutilized fish.

Café Salle à Manger is run by students of the Tokai Gakuin University Department of Nutrition and Dietic Science. Some of the vegetables carefully grown on rented abandoned farmland by students are deemed unsellable but are used in dishes and desserts. They not only convey the taste of the season but also the importance of tackling food waste.

In November 2023, we held an event named THINK, EAT, TABLE at a café in Nihonbashihamacho called Hama House. This event allowed visitors to eat ingredients from producers that we have previously interviewed for our THINK&EAT series. This article looks at the initiatives we carried out at Hama House by including some of the ingredients that we have covered in the past in the boxed lunches sold at the café on weekdays as well as in the food served for a fall event called Hamacho Autumn Session on November 3.

Snaq Me offers a snack subscription service and promotes the "Upcycled Snack Project," utilizing ingredients that would otherwise go to waste, due to close ties with producers. It develops a range of snacks in response to sudden requests from producers.

Kamikatsu-cho, Tokushima Prefecture, is the smallest town in Japan's Shikoku region, and has a population of about 1,400. It is globally known as Japan's first town to make a "zero waste" declaration in 2003. The term "zero waste" refers to achieving a society that produces no waste. RISE & WIN Brewing Co. was established to bring life to a town facing depopulation, where more than half of its residents are elderly. The brewery has gained attention for beer brewing that would only be possible in a zero-waste town, such as using farm produce that would normally be discarded and recycling malt lees to make beer.

Nobeoka, MIYAZAKI Prefecture, the second largest municipality in Kyushu, has mountains and forests covering more than 80% of its land area. However, the neglected bamboo groves are causing problems in the city. Nobeoka Menma was created to address this issue.

VEGHEET was conceived in Hirado, a town of about 30,000 inhabitants in Nagasaki Prefecture. The vegetable-based food sheets have their natural colors, nutritional value, and smooth texture intact, offering solutions to various social issues. We spoke to the representative, Keisuke Soda.

With their cute dog designs and colorful packaging, these eye-catching treats are additive-free and handmade. They are gluten-free and human-grade. In fact, the ingredients include cod skins left over from food production and venison from the overpopulation of deer in Nagano's forests. It is all about enjoying treat time with your dog using eco-friendly products.

Re: pickles are homemade by Wakamatsu Farm. The jars are crammed with small cucumbers, making one's mouth water. These cucumbers are actually off-spec vegetables that would normally be discarded. Although they may not have a clear market value, their worth is evident when they are utilized to make pickles.

GOOD NEWS Co., Ltd. is dedicated to resolving local issues and creating a sustainable town in Nasu. It manages the GOOD NEWS complex in Nasu Kogen and creates food products that help tackle food waste. Its Butter no Itoko, made from fat-free milk, is a beloved snack and has earned recognition as Nasu's latest specialty confection.

Cilantro is often used for its leaves and stems, and the roots tend to be thrown away. Using up such parts of the ingredient can also help reduce food waste. The THINK & EAT editorial team has devised a recipe using the roots.

Golden Chicken Stock, sold by Niwatori Kakumeidan, was developed in response to the concerns of a friend who runs a small-scale poultry farm. The result is a rich, full-bodied, tasty broth made from egg-laying hens considered unsuitable for cooking.

“Chibavege” is a food waste reduction project primarily operating in Chiba Prefecture. It all began to support the farmers affected by Typhoon No. 15 in 2019. The group started retailing vegetables and is now venturing into processed food production. Through “arty vegetables” that do not reach the market, they are pursuing a new way of using off-spec vegetables.

Umegaoka, Aoba Ward, Kanagawa Prefecture. Seika Micotoya is housed in a striking brick building, Micotoya House, in a quiet residential neighborhood. In addition to selling vegetables, the adjoining KIKI NATURAL ICECREAM sells ice creams made from fruits and vegetables salvaged from farmers that would otherwise be wasted. They always have about 10 flavors, and each one is tantalizing not only for its flavor but also for the story behind the ingredients. We spoke with Teppei Suzuki, the proprietor behind these ice cream creations.

Wansaka Oura Park in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, is a seaside farmers’ market jointly established by 10 nearby villages. The famous local specialty, Hanapanchun Monogatari, was developed here to tell the timeless story of the traditional vegetable Futami akakarashina (red mustard greens).

In Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, school lunches using locally grown produce are now being provided to elementary and middle schools in the city. While it will take nearly 20 years for it to spread throughout the community, thousands of kilograms of vegetables were being discarded each year. The city has been taking measures to prevent food waste since around 2015 to address this issue. Initiatives to improve storage facilities and develop recipes have steadily produced results.

Children love this school lunch item, using Kiriboshi daikon (dried daikon strips) made of off-spec daikon. It provides calcium and iron, which we often lack.

Beer lovers go crazy for unique craft beers. CheapChic Brewing in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, is another quirky craft beer brand launched by a tomato farmer. Their current project involves making upcycled beer from wasted fruits and vegetables. We visited Yuki Otomo, the project's representative, to find out what it was all about.

MORIYAMAEN have taken on the challenge of developing processed products with thinned-out apples that would otherwise be disposed of.

Jun Kakisu is the signature product of Kaki no Senmon Ishii in Gojo, Nara Prefecture, and has been developed with the desire to "salvage persimmons from being discarded in large quantities." It has been a long seller for over 40 years, and substandard persimmons are also used in products such as pickles and wagashi (Japanese confectionery).

Kesa-no-Hama is a can of fish cooked in water produced by Sea Life, a marine products processor in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture. The can contains randomly selected underutilized fish unloaded at a local fishing port. Why did Sea Life focus on underutilized and neglected fish? Tracing how the development of this product reveals the passion of a local manufacturer that supports the fishing industry.

Tekikaka Cider is an apple cider made of thinned apples that would normally be discarded. MORIYAMAEN, the first apple orchard in Japan to successfully develop this product, has a history dating back over 100 years in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture. Behind the development lies an exceptional drive to make the most of the working hours of fruit picking.

Even parts of ingredients usually discarded at home can help reduce food waste if used up. Editorial staff has created an original recipe using one such ingredient.

The Fuku Gohan Project was launched in 2019. With the slogan, "There's good fortune in the last helping," the project aims to tackle the problem of food waste. In 2021, it held Green Grocers for Healing the Earth and People, an event using tasty substandard vegetables. The event offered visitors off-spec vegetables normally unavailable in the market and recommended and sold them according to the visitors' physical condition.