You can start with a single nut! Weighing is a fun way to "create no waste"!
Streets magazine Editors
February 1, 2024
This article has been automatically translated from the Japanese version.
A New Environmentally Friendly Way to Shop
Located in Galleria Takemachi, Oita City, BETTER offers a wide variety of products in large jars. Tea leaves, sweets, seasonings, furikake (sprinkles), dried foods, rice, detergents, and more...about 130 kinds in all! Yes, this is a "quantity store" where you can buy whatever you like in whatever quantities you like.
A wide variety of products are lined up in the store. sprinkles, rock salt, detergent, shampoo, etc.
The owner, Chika Naganaga, is also particular about the fact that most of her products are organic, additive-free, and fair trade. Basically, customers are asked to bring their own paper bags or containers to take home. If not available, they can use reusable containers available at the store.
The motto is "no waste," and this is a new form of environmentally friendly shopping.
We can proceed with the purchase while keeping an eye on the weight on the scale.
Products made from organically grown ingredients are also available.
A trip to Okinawa "awakened" him to a drastic change in his life.
Mr. Naganaga says, "I never cared about the environment before," but when he visited Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, on a trip, he was impressed by the beauty of the ocean. However, when he visited Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, on a trip, he was impressed by the beauty of the ocean and began to become more conscious of environmental protection.
I thought the ocean was so beautiful," he said. But there was plastic floating in the water. If things continue as they are, the current generation of children may not be able to see this beautiful ocean in the future. I wondered if that was really a good thing. I thought, "Is that really what we want?
After that, he tried to reduce the amount of plastic in his daily life, but it didn't go very well. He decided that he needed a place where he could be more familiar with a plastic-free lifestyle, so he studied hard for about a year about environmental issues and eco-friendly lifestyles. He quit his previous job and opened BETTER.
Chika Naganaga, owner of the company, spoke about many things with an unwavering focus.
A place where you can think about the environment while having fun
During the interview, customers came one after another. They took their time to select products and purchase only the amount they needed. It was impressive to see how excited they were as they walked around the store.
One customer commented, "I enjoy selling products by weight," and another said, "It gives me a chance to think about the environment while preparing containers at home. If you go to a supermarket, the products are packaged from the beginning and you have to buy only this much, but at our store, you can buy just 50 grams of sugar to use for baking, so that's something they really appreciate."
The store also sells fresh, pesticide-free vegetables, which are very popular. These vegetables are grown by farmers in the prefecture who share Mr. Naganaga's passion.
We don't want you to feel like you have to go through a lot to get into our store.
We don't force you to come in, so please come in just to look around," smiles Mr. Nagacho. He says that some people have the impression that they have to buy something when they enter the store, but he wants customers to experience the store at their own pace.
Naganaga serves customers at a comfortable distance with relaxing background music playing. It is certainly a place where one can browse the store at one's own pace.
Why don't you experience a new way of shopping?