Japanese learners quickly learn that one of the more useful words in the language is mottainai, or “wasteful”. Indeed, Japan has built its own hagiography around its opposition to waste. But the tale and the truth aren’t always in sync. One major difference between Japan and other countries in particular shows that, when it comes to food waste, the country still has room for improvement.
Too Many Plastics, Too Much Discarded Food
Tt’s true that there are many areas in which people in Japan aim to reduce waste. However, there are also significant blind spots.
One of the largest blind spots? Plastics. Japan is currently one of the top exporters of plastic waste. It also incinerates the majority of its plastic, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In response to this, the country has taken steps to limit plastic production, such as a national law that requires merchants to charge for plastic bags.
Another notable blind spot is food waste. Despite its mottainai philosophy, Japan discards 6.12 million tons of edible food a year. According to Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency, that’s 132 grams a day for every single person in the country.
Why Doggie Bags are Frowned Upon
One reason for this significant volume of loss is the lack of a mochi-kaeri (take-home) tradition for leftovers in Japan. While ordering takeout is commonplace, few stores offer – or even allow – dine-in customers to take leftovers home.
Why? Writing for Toyo Keizai, food loss journalist Ide Rumi (井出 留美) says many restaurants worry about food poisoning. Restaurants that mishandle food in Japan are often the target of intense bashing that can hurt their bottom line or even shut them down completely. National news media and JP Twitter were aghast last year, for instance, over a stream of Instagram stories posts showing part-time food workers intentionally mishandling food before serving it to customers.
Another reason for the lack of doggie bags, one article speculates, might be portion control. In America, taking food home is common – but serving portions at restaurants are often more than most people can eat in a single sitting. By contrast, serving sizes in Japanese restaurants tend to be more modest. I’d also note that a lot of dine-out food – particularly lunch food – is relatively cheap. I’d wager that cost control also plays a part here.
This absence of take-home food is both a surprise and a disappointment to people coming from other countries where “doggie bags” are customary. The article I cited earlier from Livedoor notes that this became a hot topic on Chinese news in 2018. Some Chinese stores will not only gladly hand you a bag for your leftovers – they’ll even throw in a beer for the road!
One Chain Changes Its Tune
In recent years, a few businesses have changed their tune regarding mochi-kaeri. Ide’s article notes how, in 2009, the International Hotel Group announced it would allow take-home food from parties and meetings that it sponsored. As part of its messaging to customers, IHG emphasized that customers who took food did so “at their own risk” (i.e., if you get sick, don’t blame us!).
And recently, another major chain in Japan mirrored IHG’s move. Skylark runs the Chinese restaurant chain Bamiyan, the Italian chain Gusto, and several other “family restaurant” brands. The group recently announced it will offer a “Skylark Waste-Not Pack” for customers who want to take food home. The move is an explicit effort to reduce food waste at Skylark properties.
Given Skylark’s list of properties, the announcement is a positive development. I’m sure both food loss reduction advocates and foreign residents alike hope this trend extends to other restaurants in short order.
