Wearing All Bars and Wearing All Bars to the Rumored Sustainable Town of Kamikatsu-cho, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan! | feature

Wearing all-bars and shoes, we went to the rumored sustainable town of Kamikatsu-cho, Tokushima Prefecture!

*PR article.

The town of Kamikatsu in Tokushima Prefecture has been in the spotlight for several years. The reason for this is the town-wide zero-waste policy, or in other words, the town's zero waste policy, and the local efforts related to it. Allbirds, also born in the U.S., is also thoroughly environmentally conscious, and most of its materials are derived from nature. So, let's run around Kamikatsu Town with "Allbirds," and the handsome HOUYHNHNM RUNNING CLUB ♡ was mobilized. What I felt through this social studies tour for adults was how serious Kamikatsu Town and "Allbirds" are about the environment.

Photo_Shingo Goya

Text_Keisuke Kimura

Edit_Hiroshi Yamamoto

SPOT 3. cafe paulster Fuel up with a gentle lunch prepared by the owner, a native of Kamikatsu Town.

Café Pollstar, where you can buy locally produced and locally consumed food, as well as local crafts and ingredients.
Address: 32-1, Aza Hirama, Oaza Fukuhara, Kamikatsu-cho, Katsuura-gun, Tokushima Prefecture
Phone: 0885-46-0338
cafepolestar.com

The lunch of the day was a plate of braised pork with spring cabbage and wasabi leaves, and several side dishes. Ingredients are purchased every morning at the produce market, and the menu changes accordingly. Small portions of rice are also available to minimize food loss. Chopsticks are made from thinned wood in a neighboring town of Kamikatsu and can be purchased at the store.

It's so different from the cheap bar I went to yesterday in Tokyo. The food was super junky, so it was even better.

As a side note, HOUYHNHNM RUNNING CLUB♡ are also big drinkers, so most of our parties are held at izakaya (Japanese-style pubs), which are cheap, fast, and moderate in taste. So, the food at Cafe Paulstar is very satisfying to our tired stomachs.

One of the most exciting items for the interviewers was the achar made with green chili peppers from Kamikatsu. The mellow aroma and spiciness of the spice made it the perfect snack. It was super delicious.

Owner Terumi Higashi was born and raised in Kamikatsu-cho and lived in Tokyo before making a U-turn. He returned to Kamikatsu in 2015 because the natural lifestyle of Kamikatsu-cho still fits his skin.

We serve locally produced and locally consumed food, but of course we also eat mac and cheese from time to time (laughs). It's honestly a hassle to sort things out (laughs). It's such an inconvenient place, but I like the distance from nature in Kamikatsu," says Azuma.

After all, everyone has that normal sense of "hassle," and some people say they have had enough of recycling. Some people say they have had enough of recycling. However, living with nature always by our side and not burdening the earth as much as possible may have a positive effect on our hearts without us even knowing it. Wearing "All Bars" is probably not so far away from that.