Month: November 2020

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Why not enjoy solitude with Japanese candles in this COVID-19 era? - The difference between Japanese and Western candles -

What are Japanese candles?

Japan wax extracted from the nuts of the wax tree found in western Japan , and their wicks are made from the rush grass used in tatami mats. Japanese candles have a hollow, cylindrical wick, allowing them to absorb wax quickly and reducing dripping. Historic temples have favored Japanese candles for hundreds of years, thanks to the clean, easily removable soot they produce, eliminating the risk of staining high-quality Buddhist altar fittings. Their large, beautiful flames also ensure they remain popular. They
also use expensive natural materials, and to maintain their high quality, artisans pour their souls into crafting each candle by hand. As a result, the number produced is limited, making them more expensive than Western candles. But try lighting a Japanese candle. You'll find yourself suddenly transported to the main character in a period drama. Like the "One Million Candle Night" held nationwide every year, why not turn off all the lights in your home for an hour and spend some quality time chatting in the dark with your family?

What are Western candles?

They are made from paraffin, a raw material extracted from petroleum, and have a thread wick. For example, those colorful candles that come with birthday cakes are Western candles. You've probably had the experience of a little candle dripping onto the delicious cake. When Western candles burn, they produce stickier soot than Japanese candles, which can stick to Buddhist altar fittings and damage their surfaces. However, Western candles can be mass-produced by machine, so the raw materials are inexpensive and they are commonly used

The difference between Japanese and Western candles in how they burn

If you compare the way Japanese candles burn with Western candles, you'll notice that the flame of a Japanese candle is large and flickers wildly, as if they are connected by soul, while a Western candle's flame is small and burns quietly.

Now, in this first COVID-19 crisis,
why not find new joy in your heart with a Japanese candle, especially in these times of loneliness?

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A beautiful and majestic hazel tree in the courtyard during the rainy season

Our company's power spot, the haze tree

In the courtyard of our company in central Kanagawa Prefecture, there is a power spot: a hazel tree with fresh green leaves and young green fruit. As a symbol of our long-lived company with a history of 188 years, its vibrant appearance continues to brighten the hearts of CERARICA employees today
The nuts of the Japanese wax tree are the raw material for Japan wax , which has long been used in hair care and makeup cosmetics. After the leaves turn beautiful red in autumn and winter, the nuts turn color and are harvested, extracted, refined, and used to make the wax used in sumo wrestlers' hair care productsLarge GinkgoLarge oak treeand the royal womenLong hanging hairSmoothIt is also used in the currently popularYellow oak-dyed robeKorozen's Law" is a plant dye made from hazelnut branches
Wax trees grow in warm regions, and in Japan they have been selectively bred and planted in western Japan, especially in Kyushu and Shikoku, since the Edo period. Wax trees in our company's Kanto region also produce beautiful fruit, making them ideal garden trees for enthusiasts in the Tokyo metropolitan area
As previously mentioned on our website, we are running a "Haze no Mi School" where our employees teach people in Kyushu, Shikoku, and other regions about harvesting haze berries, providing modern know-how that allows anyone to harvest them safely.We sincerely hope that our new haze tree public relations activities, which aim to expand greenery like the UN SDGs, will help to repopulate haze trees, a symbol of autumn in western Japan, and revitalize the often-overlooked forestry industry with a completely new perspective, sparking interest among today's young people, ushering in an "era of natural products" that replaces petroleum synthetics

  • Our company's power spot, the haze tree
  • Fresh goby fruit from June this year
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Is it true that "natural wax" is used in many places?

The "Job Yearbook," edited by The Asahi Shimbun Company, is a unique educational resource that clearly introduces the unique work of various leading Japanese companies and organizations. It was distributed to all elementary and junior high schools nationwide, as well as some high schools, in July of this year.
In the "Job Yearbook," we introduce the surprising uses and functions of natural wax, which are little known to children. ("Job Yearbook 2020," pp. 256-257, p. 333)
For example, what comes to mind when you hear the word "wax"? I'm sure many of you think of candles on a cake. The wax produced primarily by plants and insects is called "natural wax."
In addition to hair oil for tying topknots and the Japanese candles seen in period dramas on television, natural wax is used in a variety of inconspicuous applications all around us, such as the raw material for cosmetics like hair wax and lipstick, capsules and tablets for health foods, gummy candies, chewing gum, rice dumplings and rice crackers, and even data recording materials like CDs and copier toner.With
the development of convenience stores and mail order, interest in and concern for things themselves has waned beyond their convenience, and we often fail to notice their true quality and value, such as what they are made of or how to properly care for them.
Take bamboo shoots for example. Nowadays, supermarkets and convenience stores stock a wide selection of ready-to-eat prepackaged shoots, so people often buy them for their convenience. However, until recently, you had to buy skinned, soiled shoots and prepare them yourself. Only then could you appreciate the difference in taste and texture between real bamboo shoots and those sold at convenience stores, which had been pre-processed for easy eating. You also realized how much work went into preparing them for consumption. In
this age of convenience, I sincerely hope that this "Business Yearbook" will inspire children to discover the true essence of the things around us, to take a deeper interest in the foods we eat and use, and to appreciate the preciousness of even the flowers and grasses that bloom by the roadside that we pass by without noticing until now. It is my sincere hope that this "Business Yearbook" will foster in children the sensitivity to nature that we have always had.
And I sincerely hope that the coming era of natural product manufacturing that is kind to people and the earth, in line with the SDGs, will spread step by step to future children all over the world.

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There is no such thing as a weed

Realize the essence of things around you

Have you ever become interested in "weeds"?
Weeds refer to plants that reproduce naturally, and while some are not useless and have medicinal effects, there are also a variety of plants that are poisonous.
Did you know that Emperor Showa once said, ``There is no such thing as a weed?''
I learned this from the president of CERARICA University.
As the name suggests, Hiroshiba, the garden of the Emperor's throne, is a large garden, and grass seeds fly from all over the place, making it overgrown with a variety of weeds in the summer. One summer, shortly after the war, when the Emperor and Empress returned from their summer vacation, Lord ChamberlainJijuchoMr. Irie apologized and said, ``I'm truly sorry, but the weeds are overgrown and this is all that remains.I will clean it up someday.'' In response, Emperor Showa said, ``There is no such thing as a weed in the first place.Every plant has its own name and lives wherever it pleases. You mustn't clean it,'' he said, conveying a deep meaning.
Even the plants we call "weeds" have their own names, and even the "language of flowers". The hated "weeds", which have vitality and keep growing no matter how much you pull them out, not only make us feel the four seasons, but also each one has a name, is created in this world, and absorbs carbon dioxide. They emit oxygen, purify water, and support the beauty of the entire planet.
Why don't you pay attention to the tiny lives with the Japanese's innate ``heart of awareness''?
<References> ●Aimasa Irie, “The Tale of the Imperial Chamberlain”/Published in 1980

Learn more about grass

Here, we will introduce each type of grass that you often see on the roads.

Halzion

A perennial herb that belongs to the family Asteraceae and the genus Mugwort.
It is also called poor grass because of the legend that if you break or pluck its flowers, you will become poor.
It prefers to grow in areas with high nitrogen content, such as pastures and fields, and can be eaten deliciously as tempura or dipping sauce. Flower language: “Reminiscence of love”

Dokudami
(also known as Dokudame, Juyaku, Gyoseiso, Jigokusoba, Umazeri)

A perennial plant of the Dokudamiaceae family.
It grows in clumps in damp shaded areas, has a unique scent, and has been widely used as a folk medicine since ancient times.
Language of flowers: "Wild" "White Memories"
Efficacy: Detoxification, antipyretic, prevention of arteriosclerosis, diuretic effect

dandelion

Generic name for the genus Dandelion of the Asteraceae family.
Dandelions that can often be seen in Japan include the Japanese dandelion, which has grown wild since ancient times, and the Western dandelion, which was introduced from foreign countries after the Meiji period.
Japanese dandelions bloom only in spring, while Western dandelions can often be seen in urban areas regardless of the season. Flower language: "Oracle of love", "True love", "Separation"

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Let's spread the appeal of Japanese tea to the younger generation

Japanese tea is a very delicate drink

Tea is a familiar drink with a long history for us Japanese. Our company was founded in Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and is known for our nationally renowned Yamecha brand. While tea is readily available in a variety of forms, including bottled tea, loose leaf tea, and tea bags, at home, we are more likely to use bottled tea than loose leaf tea, which requires time and effort to steep in a teapot. Have
you noticed that Japanese tea is inherently characterized by a delicate sensibility?
The reason Japanese tea is considered delicate lies not only in the brewing method, but also in the cultivation and manufacturing techniques of the tea leaves. The taste of Japanese tea varies depending on the temperature of the water used during brewing, and the tea leaves' inherent richness and aroma are brought out by the brewer's skillful technique, allowing the drinker to cultivate and enjoy a sophisticated sense of taste. Another delicate element lies in the sophisticated tea-making technique, which involves not simply drying the tea, but rather "drying it over time while maintaining body temperature (34-35°C) and adjusting the rolling method," a traditional Japanese technique that we can be proud of around the world.
Sharing a warm space with others while drinking tea is the origin of Japanese hospitality. Now that I'm 21 years old, I've recently come into contact with the delicacy and depth of tea, and in my role as a tea server, I frequently visit tea shops to learn more about how to brew delicious tea and the merits of tea leaves from each region, so that I can always provide my customers with a better experience.
If there are any of you who are thinking, "Come to think of it, I haven't had a rich, fragrant tea recently," why not stop by your local tea shop, choose your favorite tea, brew it at the right temperature from the tea leaves, enjoy the richness of the tea, and take a break?

<References/URL>
Ochaukeya website
https://ochaukeya.com/japanesetea/japanesetea-04

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Taking on the world from the first step

A door to the world of "language"

CERARICA , we all study English as a first step to ensure that each employee strives for global excellence from adolescence.
By mastering English, we hope to be able to communicate directly with people from around the world, gain diverse inspiration, deepen our understanding and respect for others, and share our opinions to create new things.
For example, CERARICA 's overseas production sites for our wax, making friends with them and inspecting the ingredients with our own eyes. We also provide technical guidance to help improve the living conditions of local residents and help them overcome poverty. We also conduct detailed technical business negotiations in English with leading international cosmetics companies. During our
in-house training, under the guidance of our teacher, Shan Cassim, a pure-hearted young soccer-loving Sri Lankan with British citizenship, we practice the basics of introducing ourselves in English, as well as introducing our company and jobs. We practice, sometimes awkwardly and sometimes embarrassingly, but we have fun.
We at CERARICA NODA will continue to advance the 21st century "production industry" predicted by business scholar Drucker by creating high-quality life wax, or CERARICA , utilizing our improved linguistic, cultural, and communication skills, even though it will be a long journey.