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The Best Episodes of Zero Waste Life

Every episode of Zero Waste Life ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Zero Waste Life!

Meet people around Japan who strive for a life without waste under the traditional philosophy of "MOTTAINAI," which values cherishing the things we have.

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#1 - Kintsugi: Giving New Life to Broken Vessels
S1:E16/4/2021
Using lacquer to reassemble broken vessels by pasting shards together and coating with gold or silver powder, a technique known as kintsugi. In Western cultures, repairs aim to return a piece to its original state. Kintsugi does the opposite, emphasizing flaws to create newfound beauty. Continuing in the spirit of this tradition dating back to the 15th century, artisan Kuroda Yukiko has garnered worldwide attention. Come witness her precise technique and passion for this unique artform.
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#2 - Asakusa Washi: Omikuji Recycling
S1:E26/11/2021
Asakusa, Tokyo, is home to many shrines and temples. Visitors often buy "omikuji," which are small pieces of paper with fortunes written on them. Normally burned for disposal, washi paper artisan Shinoda Kaho came up with the idea of recycling them as a new style of washi, which is not only beautiful but durable as well. Her washi handbags are gaining popularity in and out of Japan. This may well be the birth of a new local specialty in an area long known for papermaking and paper recycling.
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#3 - The Toy Doctor
S1:E37/2/2021
After leaving his math teaching job Suzuki Yuichi became a doctor, but he has no license. The surgeries he performs require a drill or a screwdriver not a scalpel, and his patients aren't humans but toys. Children bring their broken toys to him; all kinds of toys, broken in all kinds of ways. The repairs can be a challenge, but with boundless ingenuity and enthusiasm he gets the job done. He receives no pay, but he does have a lesson for his young clients, "Cherish your precious toys forever!"
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#4 - Discarded Umbrellas Reborn
S1:E47/9/2021
Cheap plastic umbrellas are all too easily used and thrown away in Japan. And since they're difficult to break down, recycling efforts have stalled. But young creator Saito Aki has an original idea that may be the solution. By compressing layers of plastic from old umbrellas she's created a beautiful new fabric and turned it into a hit line of fashionable handbags. Just to look, you'd never guess where it came from. The perfect blend of style and environmental-awareness-raising substance.
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#5 - Lumber Rescue
S1:E58/6/2021
Azuno Tadafumi runs a rather unconventional retail space. It doesn't just carry used tools or furniture, but also salvaged lumber. Many Japanese country houses go vacant. These derelict homes are regularly torn down. When he hears about a demolition, he goes there to see if there is any wood that can still be used. He calls what he does, "rescue," aiming to keep useful wood from being thrown away. He believes that wood can take on the emotions of the people who occupy the spaces it's used in.
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#6 - From Rubbish to Rainbow
S1:E68/13/2021
Komuro Maito has a studio in downtown Tokyo where he works with traditional plant-based dyes. His dyes are made from things that would normally be discarded like fruit skins or pruned twigs. But the results he achieves are so stunning, it's hard to believe. His methods are primitive, boiling to extract natural pigments while imagining the color that will result. It can vary greatly depending on the plants used, and even on the season. As he's fond of saying, "trash is treasure."
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The 20 WORST Episodes of Zero Waste Life

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#7 - Zako: Trash Fish Is Treasure
S1:E79/3/2021
Japanese chef Kai Kosei offers dishes featuring "Zako," fish with little or no market value. Either because they're too small or aren't commonly eaten, they're mostly discarded. In response, Kai's restaurant celebrates their deliciousness, serving unfamiliar fish like mottled spinefoot or Roudi escolar as sashimi, or deep-fried Luna lionfish. His Zako cuisine is a hit. And due in part to his efforts, these once "useless" fish are now regularly seen in the fish market.
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#8 - Waste Wood Sonata
S1:E89/10/2021
For over 40 years Tsukamoto Yoshifusa has used scrap wood from old Japanese houses to make violins. Carefully carving the front and back plates using self-taught techniques, each one takes nearly a year to complete. So far, he's made 45. He says old wood is ideal. The older the drier. The denser the grain, the richer the sound. His family also loves to play his scrap wood violins. The "joy of wood" helps keep them in harmony.
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#9 - Floral Incarnation
S1:E910/1/2021
Flowers accompany life's most important moments. But there's a sadness to picked flowers. They color our lives and are all too quickly discarded. Kawashima Haruka makes the most of them, drying discarded flowers for a second incarnation. And once that role is done, she further preserves them for yet another use. Her aim is a world where flowers are part of every aspect of life, where they're not merely plucked and discarded at our convenience and are cherished until they finally decay.
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#10 - Green Mountain Grandma
S1:E1011/5/2021
Nakahara Keiko lives at the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains in central Japan. She dyes fabric using nearby plants and makes reusable food wrappers with wax from local honeybees. Her commitment to an eco-friendly lifestyle includes reusing worn-out fabric for clothing. The things she makes are simple and tasteful, and so popular that locals regularly come to buy them. Her work is her way of life, and her love of life extends to all things. Indeed, she too is busy as a bee.
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#11 - A School Bag Forever
S1:E1111/12/2021
Japanese schoolchildren wear backpacks known as Randoseru. Though sturdily made, after the first 6 years they're no longer used. Nishikawa Masako takes such disused Randoseru brought in by clients and remakes them into accessories that even adults can use like wallets or key fobs. Her work has been so well received that her client list is steadily growing. She sees what she does as helping to preserve cherished childhood memories.
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#12 - Scrap Can Shine
S1:E1212/3/2021
Working as an architectural designer after college, Kigami Natsuko soon added "jewelry maker" to her job description. Using things like discarded tile and other waste that's all too common on construction sites, she makes earrings and other jewelry. Her simple yet elegant creations have become a hit in trend-setting Shibuya, showcasing her belief that any scrap can truly shine.
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#13 - Glass for Life
S1:E1312/10/2021
The Japanese southern island of Okinawa Prefecture, warm all year, this popular tourist spot is home to "Ryukyu Glass," a local industry for over 100 years. Glass blower Matsumoto Sakae insists on using discarded bottles as raw material. He says their status as trash inspires him to give them beauty, making things that will be loved and never again thrown away. Hoping, in some small way, to reduce waste in the world, he keeps his furnace hot and his tools ready.
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#14 - A Harvest of Colors
S1:E1412/17/2021
Kids just love coloring with crayons! But what if a child puts them in their mouth or tries to eat them? Kimura Naoko has come up with a new type of crayon made with fruits and vegetables that's totally non-toxic. And instead of "red" or "yellow," each one is labeled with the name of the key ingredient like "apple" or "yam." Most of the raw materials used are discards or remainders. Her crayons' aim is to spread love for the bounty of the earth.
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#15 - Old Clothes, New Shine
S2:E11/7/2022
In a Tokyo studio Fujisawa Yuki processes old clothing, giving it new life using dye or lace. She also uses the technique of hot stamping to apply gold or silver leaf, reinforcing damaged areas and making them shine. She says she loves the "memory" of old clothing, evoking a time, a place or a person. She enjoys speculating about who made it and the personality of its former owner. This comes through in her work, carrying those memories forward into the future.
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#16 - Portrait in Cork
S2:E21/14/2022
Kubo Tomonori is a sommelier. He's also an artist who makes portraits from used wine corks. He's done famous faces like Leonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dali and Audrey Hepburn. He insists on using only shades created by actual wine, saying that the natural color is more beautiful. Cork is a valuable natural resource, but most are thrown away after its role as a bottle stopper is complete. Kubo's work has been a hit with wine lovers, and he gets used corks sent in from all over Japan.
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#17 - Piano Heartwood
S2:E32/4/2022
Shibahara Katsuji is a skilled woodworker. He makes all kinds of things to order, but from time to time he takes on a particularly unusual request. Remaking an unplayed piano. He makes them into desks, shelves and even doorstops. The sense of memory and history in an old piano is something he approaches with both reverence and a bit of trepidation. He does his best to maintain the original form and avoid over polishing. Even though it no longer makes music, the memories remain.
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#18 - Scrap Car to Tough Bag
S2:E42/11/2022
In Japan over 3 million vehicles a year are scrapped. 80% of the components can be recycled, but the remaining 20% can't be and is discarded as trash. Auto wrecker Kamimura Masanori made up his mind to find a new use for seatbelts and airbags instead of throwing them away. Made to save lives, they're incredibly tough and seldom degrade over time. Combining seatbelts sewn together with airbag linings, he created sturdy bags suitable for outdoor activities. He calls his creation the "Tough Bag."
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#19 - More Than Mom's Hand-me-down
S2:E53/4/2022
At Li Rui's sewing school, students learn how to remake adult clothes into kids wear. Most are moms raising children. They bring their own things; items that no longer fit, or they no longer wear but can't part with. Items once destined for disposal are transformed into clothes for their own children with Li's help. And while they work, she looks after the kids, so no need to worry. Kind to both the home and the environment, her school is a place full of laughter for mothers and children alike.
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#20 - Back in Black
S2:E63/11/2022
Making use of his vast experience, dyer Izawa Tsuyoshi has added a touch of color to all kinds of things. And two years ago, he began a new undertaking; dyeing old and worn-out clothes black. This has several benefits. Black hides damage and stains and makes old look new. Izawa worked to develop a black dye that would work on fabric of any color. Bringing clothes destined for the trash back in black has brought in so much business that there's currently a three-month waiting list for the service.
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#21 - Folk House: The Beauty of Age
S2:E73/21/2022
Matsuba Tomi lives in a town steeped in history, running an inn in an old folk house she restored, reusing waste materials. Discarded bricks line the garden path, the washroom basin is a broken jar, and the windows are a patchwork of old panes; carefully made old things that have become beautiful with time. In winter, dried fruits and vegetables hang from the eaves. She seldom throws anything away, uses everything with care and lives conscientiously. And her aesthetic sense permeates the entire inn.
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#22 - Eatery Happiness Exchange
S2:E84/15/2022
Produce is generally uniform in color, shape and size due to strict standards, which also makes for improved efficiency, but it means deviations aren't tolerated. Suyama Chimi, who studied agriculture at university, set out to open an eatery using the waste generated, so-called "substandard" produce donated by local farmers. Since costs are low, the meals are low-cost too. In the kitchen every day since graduation, her place is always busy and has become a hub for the nearby community.
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#23 - Handmade Green Living
S2:E95/6/2022
Textile artist Hayakawa Yumi lives on a verdant mountainside. Using cloth gathered from all over Asia, she makes one-of-a-kind clothing, bags and more. Scraps of fabric from her work are scattered all over her home studio as she never discards them. Almost completely self-sufficient, all her kitchen scraps go to making compost. And ash from her fire is used for washing dishes or scattered in her vegetable garden. Valuing the cycle of life.
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#24 - Jeans Genie
S2:E105/27/2022
The whole world loves jeans. But they're also all too often thrown away. Kawahara Takuya upcycles this discarded denim combining different textures and fading to create stylish clothes with a unique sensibility that's seen them grow in popularity. His indispensable partner, Yamasawa Ryoji, buys used jeans from overseas by the ton. Both men are denim devotees who are dedicated to rescuing and reusing what was thrown out, making it cooler than cool again.
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#25 - Folk House 2: The Gift of Spring
S2:E116/10/2022
Using discarded materials, Matsuba Tomi has brought a 200-year-old folk house back to life as an inn. Spring has come, and she gathers bamboo shoots for cooking and display, and fills an old baby carriage with freshly picked flowers, creating a touch of seasonal beauty from discarded things. It's a life of value for all things, and of fun. Her hope is that guests bring a bit of those values back with them when they return to the city, passing them on to the next generation.
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Best Episodes Summary

"Kintsugi: Giving New Life to Broken Vessels" is the best rated episode of "Zero Waste Life". It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 6/4/2021. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Asakusa Washi: Omikuji Recycling".