Cedar waribashi

When making our waribashi, we accept no compromises

Unique chopsticks inspired by the Japanese spirit

The finest cedar waribashi (disposable chopsticks) with your name are perfect for novelty goods, sales promotion, gifts, giveaways, events, and more. Feel free to contact us to discuss the number in each set, how many sets, name branding, etc.

Novelty items, paper packaging

Our products are used by companies in many different industries, both inside and outside of Fukushima Prefecture.

Original Iwaki Takahashi products

Kibo no Kakehashi: Great East Japan Earthquake

Suggested retail price 500 yen (tax not included)

These waribashi are made of thinned cedar wood from Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures, which were hit hard by the Great East Japan Earthquake. “Kibo” means “hope” in Japanese, and our wish is for these waribashi to be a “bridge” (“kakehashi”) to reconstruction so Tohoku, a region of abundant nature, can be a place of hope once again. * Part of the sales proceeds are directly donated to cities in these three prefectures (Rikuzentakata in Iwate, Kurihara in Miyagi, and Iwaki in Fukushima).

2011 Thinning Promotion Central Association Chairman’s Prize in the Forest Good contest
2012 New Business Field Pioneer Through the Production of New Products in Fukushima Prefecture certification
2012 Recommended Fukushima Prefecture Souvenir
2013 Good Design Award

2013 Prize of Excellence in the Fukushima Delicious Awards
2014 Social Products Award
2015 Iwaki Furusato Product Endorsement
2015 Japan Wood Design Award
2017 Recommended in the Global Division of the Nationwide Souvenir Endorsement Review Board

Kibo no Kakehashi: Kumamoto Earthquake

Some of our equipment is made in Kumamoto Prefecture, and as a company that experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake, we felt we had to do something to help after the Kumamoto Earthquake. These waribashi symbolize our wish to assist the rebuilding in the Kumamoto region together with Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures. * Some sales proceeds will be donated to Kumamoto Prefecture. This product is available in a limited quantity. Please contact us for more information.

Kibo no Kakehashi: Cherry Blossom

Kibo no Kakehashi symbolizes our hope for reconstruction in the disaster-struck areas. We released this special product decorated with cherry blossoms on March 11, 2016, the fifth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. * Sold only from February to April.

Omedetahashi

Suggested retail price 2,200 yen (tax not included)
Suggested retail price 3,000 yen (with name engraving; tax not included)

In Japan, a ritual called “Okuizome” is held on the 100th day after a baby’s birth. The baby is fed with chopsticks for the first time to express the wish that this precious new member of the family always has enough food to eat. Special chopsticks are used for this once-in-a-lifetime celebration.
* This product was jointly developed with the Fukushima Technology Centre.
* The package can be engraved with your child’s name.

2014 1st New Tohoku Souvenir Contest prize
2015 Iwaki Furusato Products Endorsement
2015 Japan Wood Design Award
2016 Prize of Excellence in the Fukushima Delicious Awards
2017 Utsukushima Eco Recycled Product certification

Sharaku Waribashi

Suggested retail price 300 yen (tax not included)

This set contains three pairs of chopsticks with unique, Japanese-style color schemes that accentuate the white shade of cedar sapwood. The packages feature playful art with Sharaku’s kabuki actors holding our products. Each pair is branded with the name “Iwaki Sugi,” so they make perfect souvenirs of the region.

2012 New Business Field Pioneer Through the Production of New Products in Fukushima Prefecture certification
2012 Recommended Fukushima Prefecture Souvenir
2015 Iwaki Furusato Product Endorsement
2017 Recommended in the Global Division of the Nationwide Souvenir Endorsement Review Board

Kashu

Suggested retail price 400 yen (tax not included)

This set contains three pairs of chopsticks decorated with images of flowering plants painted by sumi-e artist Kashu Ando for Iwaki Takahashi. These chopsticks are perfect for showing hospitality to special guests.

Learn more about Kashu Ando

Sugi Iwaibashi: Two Pairs

Suggested retail price 150 yen (tax not included)

This set contains two pair of chopsticks that are perfect for celebratory occasions such as the New Year. Red (heartwood), white (sapwood), and red/white are believed to be auspicious colors. Enjoy the elegant fragrance and feel of these chopsticks on a special day.

Sugi Iwaibashi: Four Pairs

Suggested retail price 300 yen (tax not included)

This set contains four pairs of 24-centimeter cedar chopsticks, the finest type of waribashi. They come in three wood colors, including white (sapwood), as well as rare black (black core) and red (heartwood). This product makes a lovely souvenir from Iwaki.

Lucky Chopsticks

Suggested retail price 350 yen (tax not included)

This set contains two pairs of chopsticks designed in collaboration with Chansey, the “Fukushima Support Pokémon.”
* “Pocket Monsters” and “Pokémon” are registered trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak.
* Only sold in Fukushima Prefecture.

Tenshin Sugibashi

These chopsticks, an official product for the movie Tenshin, are made of cedar from Tabito, Iwaki City that is 150 years old and was used to rebuild the Izura Rokkakudo in Kitaibaraki City. They express our wish for Kitaibaraki and Iwaki, which are neighbors, to work together for reconstruction. * Only 2,000 sets (not for sale; given as a special gift when purchasing advance tickets to see Tenshin at theaters)

FAQ

Plain chopsticks

We make a range of plain chopsticks in wood colors such as black, red, white, and red/white.

Chopsticks made from your wood

If you have to cut down a tree at your home, why not turn it into waribashi to honor the wonderful memories you have made in the past? We can produce chopsticks from any type of wood with a diameter of at least 15 centimeters and length of at least 50 centimeters. Starts from four yen per pair. (The photograph shows hinoki cypress waribashi.)

Waribashi made from Hokkaido fir

We’ve begun handling waribashi in two sizes, made entirely from pine wood thinned in Hokkaido. Starts from four yen per pair.

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Aren’t waribashi bad for the environment?: Domestically made waribashi are produced from materials such as thinned wood, lumber remnants, and wood left over after making architectural materials from logs, so they are actually very environmentally friendly. Forest thinning is particularly important because it preserves forests. Our waribashi are made entirely from thinned cedar wood from Iwaki. We are working to bring our environmental impact as close to zero as possible by incinerating used waribashi, wood chips, and the like in a wood-fired boiler and using the heat to dry new waribashi. Iwaki Takahashi strives to be a company that is kind to the environment and people. We also partner with a facility for physically handicapped persons in Iwaki City. These people with disabilities inspect and pack our products, which provides them with precious opportunities to work in their region.

I’ve never seen waribashi made in Japan before…: Unfortunately, more than 95% of the waribashi you see in Japan are produced in other countries. We recommend actively using Japanese-made chopsticks whenever possible in light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), local production for local consumption, and cutting CO₂ emissions.