Tag: lacquerware
Best Real Kintsugi Kits: Urushi vs. Epoxy (2026)
Most 'kintsugi kits' sold as food-safe are epoxy or resin with a gold-colored mica powder, not urushi lacquer with real gold. Here's how to tell which is which.
Best Japanese Housewarming Gifts: 5 Picks (And 5 to Avoid)
Five real, in-stock Japanese housewarming gifts from $10 to $150, plus gift-giving taboos (fire, red, knives) Japanese etiquette guides actually warn against.
How to Tell Real Japanese Craft from Mass-Market Knockoffs
A cross-category checklist — region, maker, material spec, origin — for telling real Japanese knives, ceramics, teapots, and lacquerware from knockoffs.
Is Your Japanese Lacquerware Real Urushi?
How to tell genuine urushi lacquerware from urethane or polyester imitations — named region, maker, spec sheet vs. ad copy, and the dishwasher-safe test.
Best Japanese Lacquerware Chopsticks: 5 Wakasa-Nuri Picks
Five real Wakasa lacquerware chopsticks from $10 to $543, and an honest look at how many are urushi versus urethane, based on each product's own spec sheet.
How to Care for Japanese Lacquerware (and Spot Real Urushi)
How to wash, dry, and store genuine urushi lacquerware versus urethane-coated pieces, how urushi ages, and what actually happens when it gets damaged.
Winter Plum Flower Chopsticks: Is a $544 Pair Worth It?
A close look at Furukawa Wakasa Lacquerware's Winter Plum Flower chopsticks, hand-inlaid by a real fourth-generation artisan, and whether the price holds up.