Zero Waste Cafe - Zero Waste Life

Since ancient times, the Japanese have believed that a life force resides in all creations. Valuing and caring for the things we use, a zero-waste life. Pointing the way to better living for a new era. I think it's more natural and kinder to the earth to do so. All the ingredients in the food they serve were either grown by Nakajima herself or locally sourced from trusted organic farmers. The simple yet supremely high quality fare is a hit with diners of all ages. Nakajima is particular about more than just the food's preparation. She makes a point of using every bit of every ingredient with nothing discarded. The eggplants are very nutritious, even when they're hidden in the head. I usually start cutting from here, but I don't want to waste it, so I'll start from the tip. I'll cut only the parts that are hard and hard to chew. I try to use as little waste as possible. I use the skin, and if possible, I use the leaves. I don't cut them too big or too small. It's really delicious. Deliberately using things ordinarily thrown away, all while never compromising on the flavour. The cafe is always fully booked. I often throw away the tip of the cucumber, but I eat it like this, and I think it's delicious. Nakajima is obsessed with eliminating waste at the cafe. She also values nature's bounty, living an almost totally self-sufficient existence. All sorts of things are growing in the garden of her nearby home. She also makes other things herself. On her home's covered porch, barrels filled with soybeans. Soy sauce is being fermented here. It smells good. I grow soybeans from seeds. If the seasoning is good, the food is good. Soy sauce is completely different. I recycle the bottles, wash them, and store them. I don't have to throw them away. I don't have to throw them away, and I've been using them for a long time. No matter how hard you try to live without waste, some things must still be thrown away. But Nakajima is dedicated to finding ways to use even this waste. Used tea leaves, surely not good for anything. In fact, they're a cleaning aid. This is a tank for collecting rainwater. Water flows in from the roof's gutter system through a hose. Other than for drinking water, Nakajima says she uses it for all her daily needs. In Japan, rainwater is clean, so I thought I had to use it. It's a great way to use rainwater. It's a waste not to use it. Nakajima moved to this area with her family 25 years ago. While raising her five children, she became particular about the foods that they ate. I think food is the most important thing. I can't lower the quality of food. I want my children to grow up well, and I want to be healthy. She wanted to make the food her family ate herself. With this aim, she began her almost totally self-sufficient way of life. But it would prove much harder than she ever imagined. To start, growing her own vegetables wasn't so simple. I didn't have much experience, and I didn't have much knowledge. When I cut a potato in half and planted it, I could only grow one. It was almost twice as big. I don't think I can grow what I grew on my own. It's such a waste. The desire to partake of nature's bounty with respect, not wasting a single thing. This way of thinking has shaped Nakajima's culinary research. And through her books and lectures, she shares the appeal of waste not cooking. As Nakajima worked towards her goal, 18 years ago, she opened the cafe. It's infused with her zero-waste spirit. On each table is a jar filled with small scraps of cloth, from old clothes, worn-out towels, or other no-longer-used items. What are they for? After eating, customers use them to wipe their plates. By doing so, less detergent and water are needed to wash them afterwards. It's amazing how she can think of such things. Some 15 staff work alongside Nakajima in her farm work and preparing food at the cafe. At 4pm, once the cafe closes, food preparation for the staff begins. Aiming for another zero-waste day, they make full use of any food unused at lunchtime, vegetable scraps from cooking, and even salad dressing to prepare the meal. Today's leftovers from the cafe, and the leftovers from lunch, we'll remake them and make something new, so that we don't throw them away. We want to be conscious of that and make as little waste as possible. The carrot leaves are finally pulled apart for use in the meal. Even tough cabbage stalks can be chopped up and used. It's good. We're happy that we can make food that we can't serve at the cafe, and that everyone can enjoy it in a different way. Everyone is looking forward to it. I'm happy that there are new places where we can shine, like the vegetable scraps. It's good. It's really good. The next morning, Nakajima heads into the garden alone. Wake up! She feeds the goat any vegetable scraps left over from the cafe, unfit for human consumption. And anything that even the goat can't eat goes into the compost for the garden. In the end, we come here, go back to the soil, pick up vegetables again, and eat them again. I think the cycle is important. After I ate it, it was very clean, delicious, and I was satisfied. But then I realized that I shouldn't peel the skin or use the leaves. I wish people would realize that. But basically, you shouldn't look at the skin of the radish or do anything wasteful. It's strange to chew on the skin. It's strange to eat the skin. I want to live my life to the fullest, to the point where I can die in peace. And if I can, I want to live a life that's good for the Earth. If I can do that, I'll be able to connect with the next generation.