Toothpicks

Let's face it, everyone needs a toothpick once in awhile. And why not use the best? Since Edo times, Saruya has been purveying toothpicks in Tokyo and throughout Japan. These are hand-crafted toothpicks -- each one cut from the tree leaving a tiny strip of bark along the shaft. If you're feeling rustic, you can have your picks in perfectly-fitted wooden boxes holding from 50 to 400 stacked in like tiny bundles of kindling. Or for a more sophisticated mood, choose the shallow, partitioned boxes with each pick swaddled in a colorful paper sheath. Saruya carries over one hundred styles of toothpicks and toothpick accessories, such as the tiny, brightly-printed cloth toothpick carrying case or drawstring bag for toothpick travel. The larger, thicker kashi-yoji, used instead of a fork for eating Japanese sweets, are also found here. Besides being practical, these lovely toothpicks make great souvenirs. A box of 300 hand-painted by the shop master, who's busy all day brushing the kanji for "one thousand gold pieces" on the tight-fitting lid, is only 1300 yen. Take a minute to look at the antique toothpick display.

To get there, use the Ginza line to Mitsukoshimae station, take the B6 exit, make a right U-turn on the sidewalk and walk towards Ningyocho. The shop is a few minutes after the Edobashi bridge, across the street from the Fuji Bank.

--mjk

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