December 2020

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In Japan, there is a custom of purchasing new chopsticks for the New Year. New chopsticks are a good luck charm to wish for good health for the year. They are also used to carry food that has been given to you to your mouth, so they are also used in the hope that you will “never be in need of food.” New chopsticks are also popular as gifts, as they serve as a “bridge between people.”

The traditional Eto Chopstick Rests for the year-end and New Year holidays is impressive with its auspicious red seal that holds your new chopsticks. A set of five chopsticks in a box is recommended as a souvenir at New Year's greetings. Why not send them along with new chopsticks to your distant friends and those who have been good to you?

This is a one-time limited product and will be discontinued as soon as the stock is gone. We are receiving orders one after another. Please consider it by all means.

Azmaya’s Eto Chopstick Rest
https://www.shokunin.com/en/azmaya/inbanhashi.html
Appi Urushi Studio’s Hashi
https://www.shokunin.com/en/appi/hashi.html

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For people who want to try a different arrangement of New Year's rice cakes next year, how about "natto mochi"?

Natto mochi, which is a round, chewy rice cake with soy sauce-based sauce and natto (fermented soybeans) mixed in, and thinly sliced white onions, is a staple of Yamagata Prefecture's home-style cooking, and has also been popular as a New Year's and Bon Festival food.

The trick is to soften the baked rice cake in boiling water, drain it, and then toss it with the natto. You can add a little soy sauce to its sauce and mustard, and top it with grated radish or grated ginger. If you serve it in an Appi-nuri bowl, it will look more like New Year's.

Please give it a try.

Appi Urushi Studio’s Flat Bowl
https://www.shokunin.com/en/appi/bowl.html
Ichiyougama’s Plate
https://www.shokunin.com/en/ichiyou/plate.html
Azmaya’s Soy Sauce Dispenser
https://www.shokunin.com/en/azmaya/shouyu.html

Reference:
https://www.pref.yamagata.jp/020026/kensei/joho/koho/mailmag/pride/nattomodu.html

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Ichiyougama stylishly incorporates and expresses Japanese traditional beauty of Bizen ware in western kitchenware such as plates, mugs, wine cups, and coffee servers.

Bizen ware, highly regarded as one of the Six Ancient Kilns in Japan, is a series of unglazed pottery with distinctive colors, which is aesthetically pleasing but functional as well.

It has heat-retaining property and high foamability, which are characteristics useful for serving beverages such as coffee and beer. Wine cup of Bizen ware is unique and attractive as well, which could be used as a black glass that would shut down any prejudice over tastes.

The traditional pottery cherished in both Japanese and Western environments is recommended to people of various backgrounds.

Ichiyougama’s Plate
https://www.shokunin.com/en/ichiyou/wine.html
Ichiyougama’s Mug
https://www.shokunin.com/en/ichiyou/mug.html
Ichiyougama’s Wine Cup
https://www.shokunin.com/en/ichiyou/wine.html
Ichiyougama’s Coffee Cone
https://www.shokunin.com/en/ichiyou/coffee.html

References:
https://wa-gokoro.jp/traditional-crafts/Ceramic/bizenyaki/295/#h-1
https://touyuukai.jp/history.html