In front of Tamachi Station in Minato Ward, Tokyo, a pop-up bakery opens every Wednesday and Thursday evening. Operated by the Japanese branch of The Big Issue, a monthly magazine founded in the UK in 1991 to support the self-reliance of the homeless, this is the 'BamuiPpangjip' (Night Bakery). Although it calls itself a bakery, its setup is simple: a small van, a display stand for products, and a chalk-drawn signboard. Unlike some subway stations in Korea, there is no savory aroma of freshly baked bread. Nevertheless, office workers, students, single-person households, and homemakers on their way home keep coming by.

In early July, during a heatwave with daytime highs nearing 37 degrees Celsius, most of the croissants, baguettes, rye bread, croquettes, sandwich bread, muffins, and other varieties displayed at BamuiPpangjip were sold out in less than an hour. Three staff members sweated as they restocked refrigerated products and served customers.

BamuiPpangjip operates by collecting leftover products baked that morning from bakeries across Japan and displaying them for sale. The bread is sourced from 28 small and medium-sized bakeries in regions such as Hokkaido, Kyoto, Saitama, and Shizuoka, as well as Tokyo. For producers, this minimizes the waste of carefully crafted bread, and for consumers, it offers easy access to unique local breads near their homes. This is a Japanese-style food upcycling initiative that helps redistribute products that would otherwise become food waste. Currently, BamuiPpangjip operates for about 2-3 hours a day at three locations near subway stations in Tokyo, including Tamachi Station, Kurazaka Station, and Otemachi, with varying days and opening times.

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Mitsueda Moemi, who manages BamuiPpangjip as part of The Big Issue Japan, said, "Bakers can reduce food loss, and consumers enjoy the fun of discovering which regional bread they'll find each time. Through BamuiPpangjip, we redistribute about 60,000 breads annually that would otherwise be discarded, helping to reduce food waste."

The Big Issue Japan launched this idea on October 16, 2020, World Food Day, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal was to create new jobs through food. The project was designed to help the self-reliance of socially disadvantaged people, such as the homeless and single mothers, by involving them in sourcing and selling products.

The bread is purchased from local bakeries at half price and sold at the regular price, with profits?after deducting operational costs such as vehicle maintenance?used for the staff. Mitsueda emphasized, "Although we inevitably have to source products at prices lower than retail for BamuiPpangjip, our principle is not to discount the selling price to consumers, so that the efforts of bakers are properly recognized."

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While BamuiPpangjip's food upcycling minimizes waste of finished products, there are models in Japan that create new food products from by-products that were mostly discarded. One example is the beverage startup Tokyo Riverside Distillery, located near Kuramae Station in Taito Ward, Tokyo.

This distillery has developed a world-first technology to produce gin from sake lees, the residue left after brewing Japanese sake. CEO Ono Chikara explained, "Sake lees (sake kasu) still contain a certain amount of enzymes and alcohol. By diluting it with water and fermenting it twice, we extract a base spirit, which is then blended for flavor and aroma to produce gin."

Chikara Ono, CEO of Tokyo Riverside Distillery, is explaining the process of making craft gin using sake distiller's alcohol.

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Similarly, the distillery produces gin using surplus beer, as well as ingredients that were previously discarded such as cacao husks, coffee grounds, and vegetable stems. Gin made from sake lees is marketed as the 'Last Series,' gin recycled from beer as the 'Revive Series,' and gin made from fruit and vegetable by-products as the 'Ethique Series.' These are sold at the distillery's in-house bar and through online and offline channels. Tasting the representative gins of each series, the Last Series featured rosemary notes and a light, refreshing character; the Revive Series had a strong 40% ABV and a beer-like hue; and the Ethique Series gin made from cacao husks had a subtle chocolate aroma.

Ono, who previously ran a marketing company and worked as a consultant in the UK, came up with the idea of making craft gin from sake lees while discussing ways to utilize sake by-products with a Japanese acquaintance who managed a liquor shop. To commercialize the idea, they launched a crowdfunding campaign in 2020 during the pandemic, raising 13 million yen (about 12 million won)?far exceeding their initial goal of 3 million yen (about 2.7 million won)?and immediately put the plan into action.

After successfully producing gin from sake lees, a friend of Ono who worked in new business development at the global beer brand Budweiser suggested making gin from surplus beer, expanding the scope of the project. Ono said, "Beer has a shelf life issue, so surplus inventory is a burden. By reproducing it as gin, it can be stored and sold for a long time without worrying about expiration."

Gin produced in-house by Tokyo Riverside Distillery is displayed at the building entrance.

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Tokyo Riverside Distillery has developed and produced 60 types of gin over the past four years. Rather than being seen as alcohol made from discarded ingredients, the products have been praised as fresh, innovative ideas, and have been featured in books and on YouTube, attracting attention from both Japanese and international tourists. Compared to the first year, product sales have increased about tenfold. The quality has also been recognized: at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC), where 1,000 global liquor manufacturers participate, the distillery was named among the top nine gin brands in 2021 and won the highest 'Gold' award this year.

At a bar operated by Tokyo Riverside Distillery, staff are making cocktails using gin produced by distilling sake lees.

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The greatest achievement has been breathing new life into materials that would have become food waste, contributing to environmental sustainability. According to Tokyo Riverside Distillery, approximately 21 tons of sake lees have been recycled as gin ingredients over four years, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 5.2 tons?equivalent to planting 37,440 young pine trees. Ono expressed his hopes: "I hope this becomes an opportunity to recognize the potential of creating new products and added value from discarded materials. I want to inspire a change in consumer attitudes and contribute to building a sustainable society."

※ This project was supported by the Press Promotion Fund, financed through government advertising fees.