Remember I mentioned loving freebies that come with Japanese fashion and beauty mags? Last month I got the May issues of Spring, CanCam, and Spur because I was enticed by the cute bags that came with the magazines.

This type of promotional gimmick has become so common in Japan that consumers take it for granted that a magazine would come with more. And bags are perfect because they carry the brand name of the designer or shop in question and it’s so easy to fold them into magazines.

Ever since Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m not a plastic bag” phenomenon in 2007, Japan has been flooded with eco bags from every brand imaginable. The most recently coveted tote bag here is Cher, an eco-friendly brand that had a surge in popularity after giving out a free medium-sized eco bag with Sweet magazine.

On the train, in the shops, on the streets — I see many women carrying this Cher bag. In fact, most Japanese working women have a main handbag (Coach, LV, Gucci etc.), and in the crook of their arm, they would tote a “secondary” bag which holds a lunch box or books or cosmetics or anything else that won’t fit into the other bag.

Sadly, it’s quite obvious that people are not carrying eco bags for environmental reasons. The Japanese are known to be fastidious about their layers of plastic packaging and I haven’t spotted many people using eco bags to carry groceries, which is common in Western countries but a concept only slowly latching on in Asia.

I suppose Tokyo has a commuting culture so women tend to travel with more stuff and hence the need for more space. The eco bag is certainly a better alternative than toting around a “nice” (read: designer brands) paper bag stuffed to the brim with odds and ends that usually ends up looking grubby.

Some women use a small eco bag to hold their wallets, mobile phones, tissue, and a lipstick when they head out to lunch from the office. The most commonly sighted eco bag for this purpose is from Dean & Deluca (I know, it’s so bizarre that a cafe’s eco bag can be so popular). I think their solid colors (black, white, and red) don’t scream for attention and they are big enough to hold everything you need for an hour but small enough to carry easily.

I’m a big bag girl so I don’t really need a second bag but I was bitten by the eco bag bug nonetheless. I thought the Agnes B striped eco bag was perfect for picnics or running errands around my neighborhood.

I don’t think this Kitson bag classifies as an eco bag because it is lined with insulating foil-like material to keep your lunch box warm. But I would consider it eco-friendly because it’s better to use this than a plastic bag to store your food.

On a road trip to Hakone, I put in an avocado, a banana, an apple, three raw bars, a hand towel, and a small knife in this small bag. I had quite a few things to carry so it was great to separate my food from my other stuff because I didn’t want to squash the fruit.

I thought this bag screamed kawaii and it was so cheery I had to nab it. As mentioned above about the lunch time tote bag, this Marc Jacobs eco bag is the same size as the Dean & Deluca ones.

Obviously I don’t have an office to go to because my home is my office, so I used it as a toiletry bag for my one-night getaway in Hakone. My regular one is pretty big and is more suitable for three-week holidays, so this small eco bag saved me a lot of space in my overnight bag.

I’m loving all three of these bags and I can’t wait to see what the June issues will bring!

Do you use eco bags?

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