Whales made from 100% recycled bottle caps from Karatsu's sea reach 8 countries: 'Traveling Whale' souvenir sells out, restocking underway

The 'Traveling Whale' is a stylish, one-of-a-kind souvenir born from bottle caps collected in Karatsu. The 'The Whale' keychain, produced by the NPO Karatsu Farm & Food (Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture; Representative Director: Nozomi Hamaguchi), is spreading domestically and internationally as a fashionable gift from Karatsu. Since its launch at the antenna shop 'KARAE SHOP,' located a two-minute walk from Karatsu Station (April 2026), the initial batch sold out in about a month, leading to a restock. Despite being handmade, one-of-a-kind items, they have traveled to eight countries—the U.S., South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, the U.K., France, Denmark, and Australia—carried by purchasers, with joyful feedback arriving from all over. Why has a whale born from a tiny workshop traveled so far? These palm-sized whales, each with unique colors and patterns, spark conversations and quietly raise awareness about the ocean and plastic pollution. We named them 'Traveling Whales' because of their two journeys. The first is the journey of the raw materials: caps from homes, beaches, and schools arrive at the 'Precious Plastic Karatsu' workshop, where they are washed, shredded, and melted into new forms. The second is the journey as a souvenir: whales purchased at KARAE SHOP travel in suitcases to new cities, finding homes on desks or in the hands of loved ones across the globe. We gave them this name to honor their ongoing journey from discarded plastic to a cherished part of someone's daily life.