Making chopsticks in Japan! #japan #japantravel #reels

This is the best svenir you’ll get in Japan cuz you make it yourself and you’ll actually use them. I went to make my own chopsticks and I had the best time. It all gets done in four easy steps. First, you choose the type of wood you want to use. There are tons of different colors and hardnesses at different price points. Next, you’re going to shave down the wood to get that tapered chopstick shape. Low key, it required a bit of strength. We don’t want a mouthful of splinters, so the next step is sanding. You basically just go until they’re smooth to the touch. Last, a quick tip in oil gives your finished chopsticks a deepened color and also helps to preserve and protect them. The whole thing takes about an hour.

This might be my new favorite thing I’ve made in Japan 🥢

My friend and I came to Wood Works Kawagoe to make a pair of our own chopsticks! If you love to use your hands, this is a must try experience. You get to pick the type of wood to use for your chopsticks, carve them to shape, and sand and finish them all within an hour ⏱️

The staff speaks English, so communication was perfect. I noticed there were all ages of customers, too. This shop is in Kawagoe, Saitama, just 30 minutes or so from Tokyo. Def come here and make a special souvenir to remember your Japan trip by 🇯🇵

📍Wood Works Kawagoe

49 Comments

  1. You can make these at home😂but I suppose it gives men who have never worked with their hands a feeling of send worth and hard work. They can bust these out and say “made this with my own two hands….last forever these two little sticks you buy online for $3”

  2. Bruh, like, $30 for basic brown chopsticks, not even a fine tip or seraded ends? 😭😭😭 At LEAST for $30 you should be getting your name in gold color on them, or picking out of a few custom print choices-

  3. I had a pair of chopsticks , of course , they were decorative…. they were porcelain that had a blue dragon that went down the whole thing.

  4. The number of foos calling this a tourist trap, lmao. Sounds like an awesome experience if you regularly use chopsticks.

    A tourist trap would be where they use flashy ads and sh*t only to get you paying $300 for something mediocre.

    First time i ever consciously thought of it was Ocean City, Maryland at this "famous" pink restaurant. The food was mediocre, and didnt show prices. came out to like $130 for 2 breakfasts and a waffle for a kid. The coffee refills were $5 each….

  5. If they have a wood with a reddish tone I'm in… I'll pay for someone to make and send me some…I'm not good with them but I try!

  6. Its a cool momento of your time, but I like bamboo chopsticks. I'd still buy them if I ever went though. I'd show the fuck out of these like hey I went to Japan and MADE these myself.

  7. GENUIS!!!! You just supply the wood and make them do all the work and then they pay you for doing the work lol

  8. Yeah nah I wanna visit Japan as much as the next guy, but I'm holding onto my stainless steel $2.25 Daiso chopsticks

  9. I’d love to do this. I brought several pair in Japan and Okinawa which I use regularly. My daughter uses them every time she comes home. I do have a set for two with rests which I rarely use. My husband won’t use them any time so they stay in the box.

  10. As far as muscle goes i have some tips as a woodworker. If its resisting the cut at that size of stock that means the blade is too dull which is why you needed any sanding whatsoever. Tip for that if you cant/don't want to sharpen it is to just skew the plane about 45° to the side and it will cut a whole lot smoother