Interesting article, Annika! Yeah, the onslaught of plastic packaging in Japan used to frustrate me to no end. I tried to find ways to re-use it when I could, but eventually you have so many paper and plastic bags and so little you can do with them. Can't use them for trash, got to buy the "official" trash bags! Ugh...one of the big wake-up calls I had regarding Japan being eco-conscious (as in: it's not!)