Shirokiya Denbe

You know what I love most about Japan?
It’s the tradition. Japan’s long history cultivated a long line of skilled workers and their handmade products. Shorkiya Denbe is just one of the lasting Japanese traditional manufacturers, open since 1830.
Shirokiya sells hand-​woven brooms and dustpans. Each one is handmade; the brooms are woven into intricate patterns to prevent splitting, and the dustpans are made of paper in order to prevent static which attracts hair and whatnot, which get stuck to regular plastic dustpans. Pretty smart, aye?
According to the store lady, each bamboo broom is different, just as people have different interests. All the items in here are made of natural ingredients, such as bamboo, paper, and (italics) bitter juice of persimmon.
«Bitter juice of persimmon»? Whaaaat?
Did you know? This bitter juice of a certain persimmon is considered as a great insecticide (!) and Shirokiya uses this juice on their dustpans to repel any possibilities of insects. coolio.
I can’t believe this store’s doors have been open since 1830! In this modern world of plastics, why not try the good-​ol’ fashioned brooms and dustpans?