The bags are bright blue and just right for taking to the market, where supermarkets and convenience stores now charge for plastic bags in the global effort to reduce plastic waste.
What sets these bags apart is that they themselves are recycled products, made from the well-known blue tarpaulins used and left behind after natural disasters.
Bridge Kumamoto, an organization in Kumamoto City, makes its "Blue Seed Bags" from waterproof tarps used after the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, the torrential rains that hit the western Japan in July 2018 and other natural disasters.
"These sheets were used to cover damaged houses to keep out the wind and rain," said Katsuaki Sato, 42, a representative director of the organization.
On closer look, it's interesting to note that each bag is slightly different in shade of color and condition.
Sato, a graphic designer, founded Bridge Kumamoto with fellow creators in May 2016, shortly after the earthquake.
"I wanted the power of creativity to be transferred into the power of recovery," he said.
The organization started out by making a tote bag with straps. The used tarps were collected from municipalities and volunteer groups, cleaned with the help of local residents and then sewn in a factory.
The products were dubbed "Blue Seed Bags" with the underlying meaning of being "seeds for recovery." Sales were launched in November 2016.
Priced at 4,400 yen including tax, part of the proceeds go to organizations and others supporting reconstruction from the Kumamoto earthquake. Sales have been brisk as many people want to show their support for Kumamoto, and so far about 3,500 have been sold and about 3 million yen donated.
The organization recently created and started selling this month a strapless bag, which is sold in a set of two -- one large and one small -- for 1,650 yen. It called the new item "Blue Seed Bag Kangaroo," in the hope that it will give parents and children an opportunity to think ("kangaeru" in Japanese) about disasters and environmental issues together.
"The bottom has width which makes it convenient," says Naoko Murakami, 37, secretary-general of the organization. "It can be washed and used repeatedly."
A portion of the proceeds will be used to help the areas affected by the torrential rains that hit the Kyushu region this month, Sato said.
"It will make me happy if more people become interested in environmental issues and want to support for disaster-hit areas through these bags," he said.
Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, it has been difficult to get people together to clean the tarps, leading to a shortage of products. But a reservation to purchase the Kangaroo bag can be made on the organization's website.
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