Oscar Award-Winning Movie ‘Drive My Car’ Incineration Plant Hosts One-day Only Restaurant

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:59 JST, October 2, 2023

HIROSHIMA — Made popular by the Academy Award-winning movie “Drive My Car,” Hiroshima City’s Naka Incineration Plant on Sunday hosted a one-day only restaurant that served dishes utilizing vegetable scraps.

The event was organized by several organizations, including the Hiroshima city government and a local supermarket chain. The plant became prominent after its location was filmed in a movie based on a Haruki Murakami short story. The movie won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards in 2022.

Tables for the unique restaurant were placed on a walkway running through the middle of the plant that allows visitors to view an incinerator behind the glass walls. About 30 diners deepened their understanding of the problem regarding how to reduce food waste while trying out four dishes. The food included okonomiyaki, a Japanese-style savory pancake, made with often unsold black sea bream and dumplings baked using a mixture of vegetable scraps and tofu.

“I learned that ingredients that are often left unused can be made into delicious dishes with a little effort,” said a 26-year-old office worker from the city.