This is a rice ball basket woven from Suzu bamboo.

Among the Suzu bamboo crafts, the form in which a body basket and a lid basket are made separately
and then combined together like this requires particularly advanced techniques.

You can place the rice balls directly into the basket without wrapping them in plastic wrap or foil.

May also use a cookie sheet or other similar material,
depending on your preference and the foods you wish to include.

This time, we put the bottom and sides with a cookie sheet and placed two smaller onigiri(Rice balls), one deep fried chicken and one cherry tomato.

Because this rice ball basket is double-woven,
it requires more careful handling in terms of ventilation than other Suzu bamboo baskets with lids.

The body of the basket, which is made of two layers of Suzu bamboo,
is particularly difficult to dry when wet, and may become moldy if it remains wet for a long time.

Therefore, please avoid washing in water as much as possible.
After use, after the basket is thoroughly dry, it is recommended to brush off dirt with a scrubbing brush
or wet a cloth and wring it out, then wipe off the soiled area.

It is also recommended to use it as a container for small items or to use the two baskets separately.

Suzu bamboo is characterized by the glossy luster of its outer skin, its soft and elastic texture, and its durability.
The yellow color gradually changes to an amber color as it ages.

It is such an excellent material that even after it has been used and turned amber color,
the outer skin becomes shiny when washed in water.

You can enjoy this basket for a long time.

—Suzu bamboo baskets in Iwate Prefecture—

Suzu bamboo found north area of Iwate pref. is said to be particularly strong and flexible.
Suzu bamboo crafts have been made with this bamboo for more than 1,000 years.

However, since around 2015, Suzu bamboo has been dying all over Iwate Prefecture for several years.
Suzu bamboo crafts are now more precious than ever,
as it has become more and more difficult to gather high-quality Suzu bamboo for use as material.

Suzu bamboo is said to die after blooming small yellow flowers when it reaches the end of its life span, and after the bamboo withers,
which is said to occur once every 120 years.
It is said to take 10 to 20 years for the young shoots to grow tall enough to be used for bamboo crafts.

This was an inexperienced situation even for the makers
who have been involved in Suzu bamboo crafts for many years.
Nevertheless, they have continued their traditional crafts by carefully walking in the mountains
and using only a tenth of the amount of Suzu bamboo that is normally harvested.