Japanese Obsession with Packaging

Goods in Japan are usually over packaged, and this is evident in every corner of shops. If you’ve ever visited Japan, you might be overwhelmed with the amount of packaging materials, especially for food products. There are layers over layers of plastics and cardboards for almost every item. Take for example, the pomegranate and banana as seen in Image 1 and 2.

 Image 1: Pomegranate wrapped in plastic and bounded by Styrofoam net (Source: Flickr)

Image 2: A banana neatly wrapped in plastic and tied with a plastic tape (Source: Milroy-Maher, 2014)

Packing items individually has become a marketing trend in Japan as it gives an additional touch of luxury to the brand. From the customer perspective, having individually packed item is convenient as that they can keep a supply of it. I will give an example about chocolates here (refer to Image 3). According to a Nikkei women survey in year 2013, Japanese women tend to carry a few chocolate and candies in their bag when they are out. This observation was noted ever since the Great East Japan Earthquake shook the country in year 2011, resulting in the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster that I have discussed previously. Carrying these snacks as disaster response items is thus a form of preparation for any unexpected events (Takagishi, 2013). Since chocolate is a comfort food, carrying it at all times allows Japanese ladies to indulge in some relaxation moment whenever they want to (Milroy-Maher, 2014).

Image 3: Multi-layered packaged chocolate (Source: Milroy-Maher, 2014)

Besides food products, packaging is also emphasized in gifts. Do check out Video 1 below as it demonstrates an overly decorated gift, a pair of chopstick. From plastic wrapping, to a ribbon, box, wrapping paper and then a paper bag. These added layers just make a small item seem big (see Video 2), and creates loads of unnecessary wastes.

Video 1: Overly decorated chopstick

Video 2: Multiple layers of packaging

Japan’s obsession over packaging can also be seen in restaurants. Instead of using plastic chopsticks, diners are served with disposable wooden ones. Also, paper napkins are available instead of cloth napkins. Such one-time off usage creates an enormous amount of waste instantly and is environmentally destructive.

Since almost everything in Japan are overly packaged, Japanese might not be aware of how environmentally unfriendly they are. The high propensity of Japan consumers purchasing nicely packed items also deters businesses from moving towards lesser packaging. This obsession over aesthetically pleasing wrapping has thus become a habit ingrained in the daily lives of Japanese. Seeking to change this consumer behavior is challenging too. In fact, this fetish over nice packaging stems from their cultural beliefs and which I will dwell more about it in my next blog post.

References

Lane, Verity. 'Getting Down And Dirty With Japan's Garbage - Tofugu'. Tofugu. N.p., 2014. Web.

Milroy-Maher, Daniel. 'Japan Has A Dangerous Fetish For Packaging | VICE | United Kingdom'. VICE. N.p., 2014. Web.

Takagishi, Jules, and Jules Takagishi. 'Carpediemjapan.Com: Working Women's "It" Bags Get Heavier - Average Is 3.9Kg, 1.4Kg HEAVIER Than 2012'. Carpediemjapancom.blogspot.sg. N.p., 2013. Web.