Mottainai: Everyday Sustainability in Japan info session

“Mottainai! Sustainability in Japan” will take place in greater Tokyo, Japan, a dynamic metropolitan area that combines old and new, modern and traditional, innovation and preservation. The program will focus on Japanese perspectives on eco-sustainability, which are strongly rooted in beliefs surrounding frugality, reuse, and mottainai (regret over wastefulness). We will explore Japanese material culture—with a special emphasis on textiles and clothing—and attitudes toward sustainability. We will do this in formal settings like museums, as well as in informal ones, such as second-hand clothing shops, artists’ studios, and municipal and commercial recycling centers.