Paper or plastic?

Going to the supermarket in Japan requires a different routine than I would normally use in the US. When in the US, I would drive to the supermarket about once a week, taking advantage of the large free parking lot, loading up on all of our necessities, and then driving back home. I would do it this way because, for one, the supermarket was too far away to walk, and two, because it was so convenient.

In Tokyo I don’t have the same luxury. Here in Tokyo, if you want to drive to the supermarket, you most often have to pay to park (usually somewhere around $6 US per hour) unless you go to one of the few markets that offer free parking. Even if you do go to a market with free parking, the parking is usually limited, and thus you would be smart to schedule your trip at a less busy time of day. Another difference is that in many places in the US, driving 5 – 10 miles is not a big deal. In Tokyo, 5 miles can mean 45 minutes behind the wheel.

The result is that I do most of my shopping by going to the places that are within walking distance of our house. This is made tricky by the fact that Squirrel is usually in tow on these trips. So how do I get everything home? Well the most obvious answer is that I don’t buy as much, and I make more frequent trips. I also always go with Squirrel in her stroller. We have a wonderful Maclaren Quest stroller which is lightweight and sturdy and comes with a roomy basket which I fill up with groceries. The groceries that don’t fit in the basket are hung off the handles in bags.

Here’s where it gets trickier. I guess I should say, where it used to get to trickier. I can’t tell you how many times I had one of those plastic bags split, leaving me scrambling to try and figure out a way to get everything home with a broken bag. I started watching the other moms to see what they were doing and quickly saw that the Japanese moms carried reusable cloth/canvas bags. All of the markets seem to sell their own version of these bags and some even offer incentives to customers who use them. I began to try and take a few of these with me whenever I went to run errands. I tried several different kinds, and quickly settled on one that I preferred.

My favorite is actually a bag I received over a year ago from my secret pal in SP10. What makes it different from the other bags I’ve tried is that it is very large and roomy, but it folds up into a tiny little bundle that I can slip into my purse. This way I always have it with me when I need it.
I have loved this bag so much lately, that I decided to find out more about who makes it. It is made by Envirosax, and they have many different prints for you to choose from. They even have a line of bags for kids and an Organic series, manufactured using viscose from bamboo, linen and a fine grade hemp. Right now I’m loving these two bags from their new Mikado series:

and this bamboo bag from their Organic series:
As I was walking back from the supermarket today with the stroller loaded down with groceries, I realized that it has been quite a while since I’ve had a bag split on me. So, paper or plastic? Neither, thank you very much.