Entrusting the Future to a Small Toothpick. Kikusui Sangyo's Dream is to Pass On Kawachinagano's Local Industry, 'Domestic Toothpicks', to the Next Era.
Kikusui Sangyo, one of the two remaining domestic toothpick makers in Japan, expresses its 'April Dream' to preserve the local toothpick industry of Kawachinagano, Osaka, promoting awareness through 'Good Toothpick Day'.
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- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 18:00
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Our company supports April Dream, a project aiming to make April 1st a day to broadcast dreams.
This press release is the dream of Kikusui Sangyo Co., Ltd.
We want to leave the toothpick, a local industry of Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture, to the next era.
That is the heartfelt wish of us at Kikusui Sangyo.
A toothpick is a very small thing.
But within that single piece lies the history of a region, techniques that have been passed down, and the time and pride of the people who have dedicated themselves to manufacturing. Precisely because it is a tool used so ordinarily, the industry behind it is still not sufficiently known. We first want to raise the recognition of toothpicks, the local industry of Kawachinagano City.
One of these efforts is the promotion of November 24th as 'Good Toothpick Day', which is being advanced by the Japan Toothpick Association. This anniversary was established last year by the Japan Anniversary Association.
Upon its establishment, the association paid a courtesy visit to the Mayor of Kawachinagano, and this event was covered by the Asahi Shimbun, Sankei Shimbun, and Yomiuri Shimbun, leading to arousing interest in the local industry.
Furthermore, on the day itself, we ran a 'Good Toothpick Day' campaign on X (formerly Twitter), including a giveaway, and many people participated while having fun.
For us, it was an event where we realized that a small thing like a toothpick could move people's hearts so much and generate interest as a local industry, just by how it is communicated. That is why this year, we want to grow this momentum even further.
We want toothpicks to become not 'just something to use', but a local industry that Kawachinagano City is proud of, something you involuntarily want to tell someone about. To that end, we are planning even more exciting projects that will involve more people than last year.
Currently, there are only two companies left in the entire country that manufacture general-shaped domestic toothpicks.
Among them, our company is the last one continuing this manufacturing as a local industry.
If the light of this work—rooted in the region, working with our hands, and passing down techniques—were to go out, it would not be easy to bring it back in the same form. That is why we want to make this industry not something that 'must be protected', but a profession that we can proudly hand over to the future.
This press release is the dream of Kikusui Sangyo Co., Ltd.
We want to leave the toothpick, a local industry of Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture, to the next era.
That is the heartfelt wish of us at Kikusui Sangyo.
A toothpick is a very small thing.
But within that single piece lies the history of a region, techniques that have been passed down, and the time and pride of the people who have dedicated themselves to manufacturing. Precisely because it is a tool used so ordinarily, the industry behind it is still not sufficiently known. We first want to raise the recognition of toothpicks, the local industry of Kawachinagano City.
One of these efforts is the promotion of November 24th as 'Good Toothpick Day', which is being advanced by the Japan Toothpick Association. This anniversary was established last year by the Japan Anniversary Association.
Upon its establishment, the association paid a courtesy visit to the Mayor of Kawachinagano, and this event was covered by the Asahi Shimbun, Sankei Shimbun, and Yomiuri Shimbun, leading to arousing interest in the local industry.
Furthermore, on the day itself, we ran a 'Good Toothpick Day' campaign on X (formerly Twitter), including a giveaway, and many people participated while having fun.
For us, it was an event where we realized that a small thing like a toothpick could move people's hearts so much and generate interest as a local industry, just by how it is communicated. That is why this year, we want to grow this momentum even further.
We want toothpicks to become not 'just something to use', but a local industry that Kawachinagano City is proud of, something you involuntarily want to tell someone about. To that end, we are planning even more exciting projects that will involve more people than last year.
Currently, there are only two companies left in the entire country that manufacture general-shaped domestic toothpicks.
Among them, our company is the last one continuing this manufacturing as a local industry.
If the light of this work—rooted in the region, working with our hands, and passing down techniques—were to go out, it would not be easy to bring it back in the same form. That is why we want to make this industry not something that 'must be protected', but a profession that we can proudly hand over to the future.