Travellers in Japan can use Mymizu to find locations on its open source map where they can refill their reusable water bottles. Rose Dykins reports

Mymizu is an app that helps people locate free water refill stations around Japan, tacking plastic waste and supporting a more sustainable way to travel.

Every minute, a million plastic bottles are consumed around the world. Mymizu's aim is to harness the power of  community to support people to tackle the plastic crisis in their everyday lives - and is on a mission to connect people with plastic-free water everywhere by 2030.

Since it launched in 2019, Mymizu has been used by both locals and travellers, who have access to more than 13,000 refill stations across Japan - helping them reduce their environmental impact. The app has now been downloaded more than 400,000 times, with users tracking refills equivalent to 750,000 reusable water bottles.

Users can add new refill stations to the app's crowdsourced map - be it a public water fountain, or a business such as a cafe, hotel, shop, gym or a beauty salon that offers free refills to members of the public. Business can also apply to be listed on Mymizu.

A new open source web version of the Mymizu app is currently being developed in beta, and is supporting the roll-out of the app globally. Thanks to the app's collaborative approach, inviting software developers across the world to expand its capabilities and make it accessible to more people, users can now connect to 200,000 water refill stations globally, and has users in more than 50 countries.

Ben Southan, who recently used the Mymizu app while travelling around Japan, says: “Mymizu is a great concept and an effective system to reduce plastic waste. I used it when travelling through the Setouchi region of Japan. The app is simple and easy to use and I found public fountains and water refill points in cafes, mayoral and tourist information buildings. I’d like to see this used more widely in more countries around the globe.”

Mymizu is operated by Mariko McTier and Robin Takashi Lewis through their organisaiton, Social Innovation Japan. In April 2024, the Mymizu Government Alliance was launched to work in collaboration with local municipalities in Japan to expand refill locations and help normalise their usage among residents. Mymizu also made it onto Conde Nast Traveller's Bright Ideas in Travel 2024 list, which recognises players, places and projects that are approaching travel's most pressing issues.