New popular trend in Japan: ecological products flood the country

Photo: New popular trend in Japan: ecological products flood the country

New popular trend in Japan: ecological products flood the country

LOHAS, which stands for "Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability," an approach to purchasing and investment that originated in the United States about a decade ago, encompasses a wide range of products pushing social and environmental responsibility - organic soap, recycled paper, hybrid cars, solar heating, herbal tea.

The trend is just beginning to catch on here, but it's estimated to represent a US$540 billion global market.

Internet shopping sites are peddling LOHAS goods. A Tokyo department store has a section for LOHAS goods. Magazines are singing the praises of the LOHAS lifestyle, including yoga, organic wine, aroma therapy and the option of bringing your own grocery bag.

"We have to learn to make do with what we have," said Junko Shinohara, a 53-year-old housewife, after examining ecologically made towels at an exhibition of LOHAS goods opening Friday in downtown Tokyo, the AP reports.

It doesn't require a stoic, idealistic way of life - just some adjustment here and there. Instead of saying: "Don't ever drive a car," it merely says: "Buy a fuel-efficient car."

The idea is going mainstream in a much bigger way in Japan than in the U.S., with automakers, food manufacturers, homebuilders, even banks, showing interest in LOHAS marketing, says Peter D. Pedersen, president of Japanese consulting company E-square Inc.

The timing was also right. Japanese, who had felt lost after the speculative "bubble" burst in the 1990s, were looking for an alternative that went beyond the power of money, he said.

The idea of LOHAS is linked with "cultural creatives" proposed by American sociologist Paul Ray, who said people are starting to value health, social issues and other aspects of life that aren't directly linked with past patterns of materialistic consumption.

A restaurant serving everyday but healthy dishes such as brown rice and vegetable curry can claim to be LOHAS. Not littering is LOHAS. Composting household garbage is even more so. The values touch something as cheap as a hammock to something more expensive as Louis Vuitton luggage.