花も、皮も、規格外も——誰かが「もったいない」と言ったところから始まった

In the Setouchi region, stretching from the coast of Hiroshima Prefecture to the mountainous areas, a unique range of local products is quietly emerging. In Kitahiroshima Town, an initiative has begun to harvest honey from the flowers of red buckwheat that were previously cut before harvest. At Oogaki High School in Etajima City, the “Kakitaka Bento,” packed with misshapen vegetables and unused ingredients from local farmers, has celebrated its first anniversary. In the same Etajima, the hides of wild boars, which damage farmland, are being transformed into leather products, while their fur is being repurposed into Kumano brushes.

What connects these three initiatives is that they all start from something that was once “waste.” The flowers were cut, the vegetables went unsold, and the animal hides were buried. In each case, someone uttered the word “mottainai” (a sense of wastefulness), and another person responded with “Then let’s use it”—this chain reaction has begun to create a small economic sphere.

The stakeholders involved are diverse, including farmers, high school students, hunters, and artisans. However, looking at the structure, they all operate under the same design philosophy of “connecting byproducts generated within existing production processes to different outlets.” It is noteworthy that this is not driven by individual goodwill, but rather has started to function as a system.

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北広島町の赤ソバ蜂蜜——刈られていた花に、ミツバチが価値をつけた

The red buckwheat cultivated in Kitahiroshima Town is originally a crop meant for harvesting seeds. It is common practice to cut the flowers before they bloom to enhance the quality of the seeds, making the flowers essentially “a hindrance in the process.” The idea to intentionally let the flowers bloom for a certain period to allow bees to collect nectar emerged from casual conversations between local beekeepers and farmers.

The honey from red buckwheat flowers is said to be darker than regular buckwheat honey and rich in iron and minerals. It has a subtle bitterness that pairs well with cheese and dark bread. Currently, about 2,000 red buckwheat seedlings are being managed as a beekeeping area, with the first year’s production costs, including seedling and hive management fees, amounting to approximately 1 million yen. Although the harvest volume is still limited, it has started to appear in roadside stations and local direct sales outlets at a price range of 1,500 to 2,000 yen per 100 grams.

What is noteworthy is that this initiative does not require farmers to undertake “new tasks” but rather allows them to “slightly delay existing tasks.” By shifting the timing of the harvest by one to two weeks, bees can collect nectar during that period. The farmers’ workload does not significantly increase, as beekeepers collect the honey and return a portion of the sales to the farmers. By minimizing additional investments, a new income stream is created—this “lightness” is a key condition for the sustainability of the system.

Future challenges include securing stable yields and standardizing quality criteria. How to stabilize the amount of nectar, which is affected by weather, and how to protect the brand if multiple beekeepers enter the market will be crucial in the coming year.

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江田島・大柿高校の「柿高弁当」——700円に詰まった、地域と教室のあいだ

The “Kakitaka Bento,” sold by Oogaki High School in Etajima City, is priced at 700 yen per meal. Using ingredients sourced from local farmers, students are involved in both cooking and selling the bento. Since its launch in spring 2024, it has sold several hundred meals both inside and outside the school.

Among the ingredients for this bento are so-called “misshapen” vegetables. Those that are irregularly shaped and cannot be sold in the market, or those harvested in quantities too small to meet shipping lots—what were once choices between self-consumption or disposal for farmers have found a place as bento ingredients. The purchase price is lower than market prices, but for farmers, it is “far better than zero.” For students, it serves as a practical learning tool for cost calculation and quality management.

“At first, everyone was scared about what would happen if we had leftovers,” says one student involved in the project. What began cautiously has now resulted in some days where they sell out before noon. Menu development, cost management, social media announcements, and inventory forecasting—the reality of “selling,” which is difficult to teach in the classroom, is condensed into the 700 yen bento box.

Connections with the community are also expanding. Collaborating with the minpaku (private lodging) facility “Kazokuya,” they have begun offering the bento to tourists, and the story of “bento made by island high school students” has started to spread through word of mouth. However, students change every year. How to maintain the know-how, standardize recipes, and sustain relationships with suppliers—this is the true test of how to create a “system that works even when people change.”

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江田島のイノシシ革レザー——厄介者の皮が、手のひらに収まるまで

In Etajima City, hundreds of wild boars are captured annually as harmful wildlife. While some of the meat is distributed as game, the hides have mostly been disposed of. Disposal also incurs costs. For hunters, the burden after capture has been heavy, contributing to a decrease in motivation for hunting.

A project to tan these hides into leather is underway through collaboration between local hunters and leather artisans. Wild boar leather has coarser fibers and more scars compared to cowhide, making it unsuitable for mass production that requires uniform quality. However, this also means that each piece has a unique charm as a “one-of-a-kind” item. It is processed into wallets, business card holders, and small items, selling for 3,000 to 5,000 yen.

Even more interesting is that the tough hair of the wild boar is beginning to be utilized as material for Kumano brushes. Kumano Town in Hiroshima Prefecture is a major production area for brushes, and sourcing animal hair has always been a challenge. Wild boar hair is said to be highly elastic and suitable for some oil painting brushes and makeup brushes, with transactions beginning, albeit in small quantities. The hides become leather, and the hair becomes brushes—by designing multiple outlets from a single wild boar, the “disposal cost” is transformed into “raw material income.”

For this structure to function, it is essential that hunters carefully skin the hides, store them properly, and pass them on to artisans. Currently, the workforce responsible for this task is limited. To enhance the completeness of the system, it will be necessary to standardize the procedures for skinning, storage, and transportation, minimizing the additional burden on hunters. Like the red buckwheat honey, the “lightness of integrating with existing movements” is key to sustainability.

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三つの現場に通底する設計思想——「新しく作る」のではなく「すでにあるものを、つなぐ」

Red buckwheat honey, Kakitaka Bento, wild boar leather. While the materials and stakeholders are completely different, the structures are surprisingly similar when lined up.

First, none of them involve “bringing in new resources from outside”; rather, they are designed to “connect what was discarded within existing production activities to different outlets.” Flowers, misshapen vegetables, animal hides—these were already there.

Second, the stakeholders do not operate in isolation but rather through a “combination of different specialties.” Farmers and beekeepers, high school students and farmers and minpaku operators, hunters and leather artisans and brush makers. It is not about a single all-rounder; the circuit is established only when each person’s role fits together.

Third, all these initiatives are small in scale. Annual sales remain in the range of several hundred thousand to a few million yen. However, this smallness is significant. Because they do not require large investments, they can withdraw if they fail. There is room for trial and error. While there is no flashiness that would dramatically change the local economy, there is a sustainability that allows them to “not have to stop.”

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これは誰を楽にするか

Finally, I would like to consider “who benefits” from these three initiatives.

Farmers earn a small income from what they would have discarded. Hunters turn disposal costs into income. High school students gain practical experience they can use after graduation. Beekeepers and leather artisans gain new sources of materials. And consumers can purchase products with a story behind them.

This is not a structure where one person makes a large profit. However, each person’s “slight burden” transforms into “slight income.” The accumulation of those “slight” changes creates a small cycle within the community.

The system is still fragile. It can stop if people leave, and it is affected by weather and capture numbers. However, the design philosophy itself can be transplanted to other regions. The moment someone realizes, “We have things we discard too,” the same circuit can start to turn in another place.

The small alchemy of Setouchi is not magic that produces gold. It is simply about treating what was already there with a little more care—just that can lighten someone’s load.