Great for budget, health and sustainability-minded tourists, Japan's first water refill app shows you nearby water fountains, environment-friendly shops, and other places to fill your bottle with drinkable water for free, reducing your expenses and your consumption of plastic bottles.
Water All Over Japan
Tourists can use the MyMizu app from Hokkaido to Okinawa while walking in famous areas of Tokyo metropolis or Kyoto ancient capital, cycling in the countryside, driving off the beaten path... Every Japanese prefecture has some of the 5,800 registered spots, at obvious destinations for sustainable tourism such as Kamikatsu "No-waste" village in Tokushima prefecture but also on small islands: 2 on Amami Oshima, 12 on Yakushima "Princess Mononoke island"...
Living near mountains, I was surprised to see spots near my home when I used the app for the first time! I then discovered that it would have been useful during my stroll in Hagi city, during my cycling tour from island to island on the Shimanami-kaido, and during my 9-day road trip in Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures.
Using MyMizu App
No registration required for this free app available on iOS & Android since 2019; just install to:
- Find free water refill spots near you, open now.
- Add refill spots. Thanks for helping future tourists with a photo and comment!
- Track your impact. Feature off by default to respect your privacy.
The English interface of this fast simple app is clear even on small smartphone screens. Spots get grouped with a counter when zooming out, and colours differentiate natural springs, public spots (e.g. water fountain in a park, train station or city hall), and private spots (e.g. tea shop, souvenir shop).
If you activate the tracking, you can learn how many single-use plastic bottles you have avoided, how many kilos of CO2 emissions you have prevented, and how much money you have saved by refilling your bottle! Data covers yourself and the MyMizu community; so far, the users avoided 11,000+ bottles, reduced their carbon footprint by 3,700+ kg, and saved 1,220,000+ yen (11,500+ dollars).
MyMizu Team & Initiative
The MyMizu team favours environmentally responsible behaviours. Its app is not dedicated to sustainable tourism; it was simply created to ensure nobody ever has to buy bottled water again. The name MyMizu combines "My" with the Japanese word meaning water "Mizu" so "MyMizu" = "My Water".
Can you trust the team & app? The registered NPO Social Innovation Japan runs MyMizu, I have known its great founders Mariko McTier and Robin Lewis for years, and MyMizu got international & Japanese recognition such as:
- Winner of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Youth Co:Lab Japan Social Innovation Challenge.
- Selected into the Aoyama Startup Accelerator Program supported by Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
- Selected for the Nippon Foundation Social Change Makers Accelerator Program.
Travel Tips: Health & Sustainability
Stay hydrated to remain healthy and avoid stress, especially during hot summers in Japan. No worry if you drink a bit too much: tourists can find free & clean restrooms all over Japan in parks, train stations...
Use MyMizu app to get drinking water; it is good for Earth and your wallet, and Japanese water typically tastes fine.
Recommend the app to other travellers. Reducing plastic consumption and the related waste should help preserve the beauty of Japanese landscapes & beaches as well as the health of local animals & ecosystems.
Combine MyMizu and Japan Travel. MyMizu's coffee/tea shops, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses support sustainability and hospitality, which makes them great places to consider for a meal (local ingredients? organic food? vegan option?), hot/ice tea, night... For complementary reviews, seasonal photos, and accessibility information (big luggage? cane? stroller?), check articles written by Japan Travel community members. If there is no matching article yet, consider writing one soon after your visit!
