Wednesday marked one year to the day when typhoon No. 15 wreaked havoc on central Japan with record gale-force winds that also swept through the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Chiba Prefecture, which was badly hit with 81,346 houses and buildings affected, received blue tarps from all over the country to cover damaged structures. Now that the tarps are no longer needed, local residents are transforming them into eco-bags.
The recycle concept was developed by Kota Fukuhara, 34, who runs a builder's office in Minami-Boso in the prefecture.
"I didn't want to waste the well wishes from the people who supported us," said Fukuhara, who repaired damaged houses free of charge at the time of the disaster.
Together with graphic designer Kosuke Kudo, 41, and local volunteers, Fukuhara makes two types of eco-bags in a workshop in the town of Kyonan. Each bag is unique due to the tarps' weathered surface, which includes small scratches and snags.
The bags will start selling by subscription sometime this month, and proceeds from the sales will go toward reconstruction support activities for the affected areas.
"We are still only half way through our reconstruction efforts, but I think we can return the favor [to those who helped us] by showing them that we are working hard," Fukuhara said.
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