While enjoying dinner at a friends' apartment last night, I complimented them on their nice coffee table. With a grin, they let me know that it was a salvage from their neighbor's "sodai gomi" pile. Then they let me in on a little secret: "In fact, all the furniture you see in our house is recycled." How did they manage that? There're very few reliable recycling shops in our area of suburban Osaka. That's when they told me about Kuru Kuru Plaza - a type of recycling center that is definitely worthy of mention.
Kuru Kuru Plaza is the official name for the Suita City Resource Recycle Center. The Center's stated goals are: "to promote reducing garbage, recycling, and reusing by developing bicycle/household goods repair and advice [sic], citizen studios for making recycled goods, clothing remodeling, etc. classes, lectures, events, and research events by citizen researchers."
The facility features a "giving and receiving corner," where things no longer used in a household but still useful(books, clothing, other items) can be brought in and taken home by people who have a need for them. The center is open daily from 9:30-4:30, and visitors are limited to ten "takeaway items" each. The corner appears to be very well used: in 2004 alone, some 131,213 items were brought in, while 113,881 items were taken home. Crafts (postcards, clothing, etc.) made from recycled items are sold at the studio where they are made. Abandoned bicycles are refurbished on-site and sold by lottery (closed auction system) on the 16th of every month.
Finally, every year the center holds a large fair where refurbished bicycles and furniture are sold by the same lottery system. Old or unwanted furniture is brought to the center, cleaned, stripped, and revarnished, and then put up for auction. My friends reported that a large crowd of Japanese and foreign visitors attended the auction, and they (as well as many others) walked away with beautiful, high-quality furniture for a fraction of what it might have cost otherwise. The next Kuru Kuru Plaza fair will be held in October 2005.
(See http://www.gcn-osaka.jp/recycle/rg01-03-01.html for information in English, call for information on the date of the latest fair.)
Don't live near Osaka? Don't despair - there are a number of these facilities of various types throughout Japan. I compiled a partial list of links to those in major metropolitan areas below. Most welcome the participation of local citizens. If you want to search on your own, ask your local city government about a nearby "shigen saisei sentaa" (resource renewal center), "riisaikuru senntaa" (recycle center), or "shimin risaikuru center" (local recycling center). Regrettably, most websites are currently in Japanese only.
Hakodate Recycle Center (refurbished bikes, furniture sold)
http://www.city.hakodate.hokkaido.jp/kankyoh/recy-center
Niigata Eco Plaza
http://www.city.niigata.niigata.jp/info/eco_plaza/1f.html
*Offers small refurbishing workshop, recycle shop, and furniture corner
Tokyo Adachi-Ku Recycle Center
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~arc.org/
Funabashi-shi Saisei Center
http://www.kankyo-f.or.jp/main/saisei.html
*Nice looking used furniture mart, baby/children's clothing center
Kamakura Recycle Suishin Kaigi
http://www1.kamakuranet.ne.jp/recycle/index.html
*Sponsors flea market 5x a year, also offers classes.
Nagoya City Recycling Promotion Center
http://www.nagoya-recycle.or.jp/index2.htm
*Offers refurbished bicycles, furniture fairs, recycle shop
Mino, Osaka Recycle Center/Citizen Workshops
http://www2.city.minoh.osaka.jp/SEIBI/siminn.html
As both a place to locate cheap, high-quality furniture and goods, as well as a place to get rid of unwanted items, these centers are worth checking out!
PS: The above list is by no means complete. The facilities go by different names in different localities, and some private companies or recycling plants also use the katakana name "riisaikuru sentaa," so be careful in your search.
By Wendy J. Imura. Copyright 2005.