Academic English

it was believed that the Shinto gods could be found in the stem of the bamboo plant, and this is something that is portrayed in one of Japan's oldest tales, the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

Now, bamboo is a very versatile plant. It's light and flexible, . . . but strong.

And the chashaku is a tea spoon, and it is used for measuring powdered green tea during the tea ceremony.

And a chasen is a tea whisk, and it is for mixing the powdered green tea in a small bowl, uh, until . . . a . . . it becomes a frothy mixture.

This is a mimikaki. And although it looks like a small type of spoon, it is act . . . actually an earpick . . .uh . . . used for cleaning out ear wax.