Roundtable #9 – Helping those who seek to live more simply and sustainably in Tokyo Saina Chiba

Roundtable: Sustainability with Ross Rowbury

The English-language events will invite readers of The Japan Times to be guest speakers. Ross Rowbury (former representative of Edelman Japan), who has a deep knowledge of Japan and boasts a wide network both here and abroad, will sit down in the role of host with Japanese and non-Japanese to discuss their lives in Japan. Held once a month, the format of the roundtable will include time for panel discussions with the participation of the audience.

For our special speaker, Rowbury will welcome Saina Chiba, a life enthusiast and co-creator of minimal living tokyo, a one-stop shop for anyone and everyone who is seeking a zero-waste lifestyle.

The contents of Roundtable by The Japan Times will be published as an archive at a later date and will be introduced in the main paper of The Japan Times and the website of Sustainable Japan by The Japan Times.

Saina Chiba
Saina is a native of Japan and sees herself as a life enthusiast and Earth lover. Seeking to live more simply and sustainably in Japan after returning from her studies in Canada and overwhelmed by the excessive presence of single-use packaging and plastics in Tokyo, Saina and Eri, a friend from college, created together minimal living tokyo.
minimal living tokyo seeks to provide easy, practical, and fun alternatives for people who seek to live more simply and sustainably. minimal living tokyo believes that an eco-conscious lifestyle should be available and accessible to everyone. The products are all 100% plastic free and are carefully selected for their biodegradability and reusability. minimal living tokyo partners with international and domestic manufacturers who source their materials and ingredients ethically, and practice sustainable standards in their production processes. The shop caters to those who have already been living a zero-waste lifestyle as well as those that yearn to start from scratch, with the hopes to leave the planet in a better state for all generations to come.

Ross Rowbury
Ross Rowbury has observed Japan while living and working here for four decades. Commencing his career in finance in Tokyo in the early 1980s, he later moved into public relations and communications, holding senior positions at Gavin Anderson & Co. (now Kreab) and PRAP Japan. Most recently, he headed the Edelman business in Japan for 10 years until July 2020. Ross is studying to become a kataribe (traditional storyteller) of Japanese legends while doing freelance consulting for a number of firms on their Japan business strategy. He is also visiting professor of Asian marketing at Doshisha University in Kyoto.