Japanese have lived in self-sustaining interrelations with their ecological environment, with profound appreciations of natural elements inducted in mindsets across all ages.

The modern Japanese society thoroughly embraces the ideology of “waste not, want not”, where materials and ingredients are routinely selected with care and treated with reverence.

“Harmony” or “Wa” is a local philosophy that means always striving to find ways to contribute actions which benefit the collective whole, and as life on earth is considered a part of this collective, nature is treated just as preciously as they would any other form of life.

As an example, until half a century ago, all textiles in Japan were manufactured locally and were regularly handed down through generations, worn and remade over and over again, from the fabrics of the seasonal kimonos to the humble hairpin, not a scrap going to waste.

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