Soba-gara: Sustainability Woven into Every Night
Lately, I’ve been waking up with an unfamiliar pain in my neck. After a few mornings of the same discomfort, it turns out that the pain was triggered by my pillow which had lost its height. What had once provided firm support had gradually flattened, no longer keeping my neck in a comfortable position through the night.
The pillow in question is filled with soba-gara (in Japanese), meaning buckwheat seed shells. Historically, this was the most conventional pillow material in Japan. Today, however, soba-gara pillows are becoming old-fashioned in an era dominated by memory foam and synthetic fibers.
Soba-gara is a byproduct of food production. When buckwheat is processed to make our soba noodles, the hard outer shells must be removed before milling. Rather than discarding this material, Japanese households have long reused it as pillow filling. Long before terms like “upcycling” or “circular economy” became popular, this was simply an ordinary way of making practical use of what was available.
That practicality, however, comes with a trade-off. Buckwheat shells are durable but not permanent. Night after night, the weight of one’s head slowly crushes them into smaller fragments. Over time, the pillow compresses, losing volume and support.
Today, I refilled the pillow with fresh soba-gara. Replacement shells are still sold, though they are a bit hard to find. I eventually located them at a local Super Viva-Home, a large Japanese home-improvement store comparable to Home Depot. The act of refilling is a reminder that some household items are meant to be maintained, rather than replaced.
The pillow itself was purchased at Nitori, a major Japanese home-furnishing chain. This one has four separate compartments, each filled with soba-gara. The design allows an adjustment of height and shape, accommodating individual sleeping preferences.
With the pillow refilled, I’m hoping tomorrow morning will be gentler on my neck, thanks to this traditional and entirely natural way of keeping my head supported.
2026/01/05 2:03 PM - Tweet