January 2022

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[Your Friend for Tidiness, Container]

Working from home is becoming the norm, and we are spending so much more time at home.

Even if you're not a big candy eater at home, many of you probably have chocolates or gum in your desk drawer when you're at the office. Even when we work at our desks at home, we still crave a little snack.

Chanto's Container is perfect for holding snacks for such breaks. If you leave it in the bag, you might eat it all at once, but if you take it out of the bag and set it in the Container, you won't overeat. It could also be used as a stationery holder for clips and sticky notes.

It is often said that your room or desk is a mirror of your current state (mind). Use the pretty Container to keep things neat and tidy, and get ready for work time in a pleasant state every day.

Chanto's Container
https://www.shokunin.com/en/chanto/container.html 

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[The Secret of Kitchen Scissors]

Banshu Hamono has a history of 250 years. The hardware industry, which has long been rooted in what is now "Banshu" in the southwestern part of Hyogo Prefecture, began with shaving as an everyday item of cutlery, and today a variety of knives are manufactured.

Introduced as "magic kitchen scissors" on NHK's Ippin, the Kiyotsuna Chef Kitchen 200mm can cut hard crabs and frozen meats with relative ease, which would take time and require a lot of strength to prepare with a knife.

The secret of the magic lies in the unique shape of these shears. The two intersecting blades are one blade that serves as a "knife," processed into the shape with which food can be cut easily, and the other blade is a receiving blade that serves as a "cutting board" so that food does not slide around. This allows you to hold the food firmly in place and cut it neatly, just as if you were using a knife on a cutting board. This is a very useful and easy to use product for carving grilled meat on the pan.

In addition, the ring near the blade can be used as a bottle opener, and the ring near the handle can be used for nutcracking, etc. The high functionality of this product will come in handy not only for everyday cooking, but also for outdoor activities such as camping.

This is a good idea when you want to cut something a little bit, or when you want to cut food safely, but not to the extent of getting out a knife and cutting board. Experience the comfort of using magic shears.

Banshu Hamono's Chef Kitchen Scissors
https://www.shokunin.com/en/banshu/kitchen.html

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[Sanuki Udon in Kagawa Prefecture]

Kagawa Prefecture is famous for its udon noodles. It is so widely recognized that it is called "Udon Prefecture."

So how did udon come to be so popular in Kagawa Prefecture? It seems to have something to do with Kagawa's mild and rainless climate. This climate was suitable for growing wheat, and as double cropping spread from the Sengoku Period to the Edo Period, wheat production came to be done at the same time as rice cultivation.

In an encyclopedia published in the Edo period, "Wakan Sansai Zue," there is an entry on wheat that says, "Although there is wheat in many countries, the wheat from Marugame in Sanshu is the best." This shows that the area was nationally recognized 300 years ago as a source of high quality wheat.

It is also famous for its salt production, and has been producing salt from seawater since ancient times, taking advantage of its shallow topography and climate with little rainfall. In addition, there were many other factors that made Shodoshima suitable for udon production, such as the fact that many high-quality iriko (dried sardines) could be caught in the Seto Inland Sea and that Shodoshima was one of the leading producers of soy sauce.

In addition, while Kagawa's climate encouraged the production of wheat and salt, it was also prone to water shortages, making it difficult to grow stable rice crops. Therefore, udon noodles made from wheat must have replaced rice as the main source of food for people.

The history of Sanuki udon, which is still loved today, has been built through its close relationship with the climate and daily life.

Seiryugama's Donburi
https://www.shokunin.com/en/seiryu/donburi.html 
Hakusan Porcelain's Noodle Bowl
https://www.shokunin.com/en/hakusan/mendon.html 
Otera Kohachiro Shoten's Kanamari
https://www.shokunin.com/en/otera/kanamari.html 

References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/讃岐うどん#歴史
https://www.flour.co.jp/news/article/554/
https://kagawakenudon.com/wiki/483/