Whipping up a backpack

While wandering around Kawagoe today with my friends, we stopped by many shops with beautiful Japanese goods.  I could spend days admiring the beautiful items in these shops, many of them handmade or locally produced.  Even though I had gone to Kawagoe just a week ago, I found many treasures to take home.  Possibly too many treasures.  I just can't resist the sembei (rice crackers) and traditional Japanese fabric and wood carvings (to name a few).  Before I knew it, I needed a plastic bag because my purse was overflowing and I had forgotten my extra bag. 

I am not a fan of plastic bags and always try to carry a fabric bag or two in my purse so I don't need to get a plastic bag at every store.  Years ago, I had a friend who was VERY anti-plastic and taught me a lot about how all the plastic waste was affecting our planet.  Since then, I've been even more conscience of using cloth bags.  One of the first phrases I memorized in Japanese was "hukuro iranai" (I don't need a bag).

So there I was, accepting a plastic bag and feeling guilty for doing so.  I begrudgingly accepted it and put my stuff inside.  Towards the end of our day, I was passing by a shop when I stopped short.  There was a small backpack hanging in a store made out of furoshiki.  Furoshiki is a square piece of cloth used to wrap gifts, carry bento boxes, and transport items.  It is not to be confused with tenugui, a rectangle shaped hand towel.  Typically furoshiki is made with beautiful, decorative fabric.

The backpack was not only a fantastic idea (reminding me that I can use cloth squares versus plastic bags or even fabric bags), it was the perfect size for my son!

I went into the store and boldly, although not very eloquently, asked how they made the backpack.  This idea was ingenious and I needed to know how to do it myself.  The saleslady understood my request, but did not know how the furoshiki was folded, so she took me to the back of the store and asked the older gentleman who was perched next to the cash register.  He appeared to be humored by my interest and pulled out a book that had instructions for the backpack. 

In my excitement, I asked if they sold the book.  He told me he purchased in on the internet.  So, now I will need to go find the book on the internet!  But he proceeded to show me the instructions and even let me take a photo of them. 

I then purchased two furoshikis that were 70 cm x 70 cm.  These would make the perfect sized backpack for my four year old.  I thanked the two sales people profusely and went on my way.

Once on the train, I had a moment to put everything together and make the backpack.  I rolled one cloth to make the straps and tied the other around my sembei like a taco (leaving the ends open).  I then tied the two cloths together, affixing the center of the strap to the center of the taco knot and tying the two ends together as well.  My son was super excited and wanted to put it on immediately.

While assembling the backpack, I noticed an old woman across from us on the train watching intently.  She had the sweetest smile on her face as I completed my task.  At that moment, I felt like I had won some major Japanese culture points.  So many people have left this beautiful tradition behind for the convenience of plastic and paper bags.  It seems like such a shame.  But hopefully there will be a resurgence and I will be ahead of the game.  To me using furoshiki is a win-win - you get to carry around beautiful pieces fabric and you're not wasting plastic bags!