> If you take care of a Yonoya comb, it’ll last you for decades, the company says<p>I don't take care of my $3 Ace plastic comb, and it's over 20 years old. You're telling me for this Japanese one I need to pay $200 <i>and</i> I need to start taking care of it??
I find it endearing, fascinating but ultimately tedious that the Japanese put <i>SO</i> much effort into both seemingly mundane AND intricate objects.<p>I realize that it's more a combination of tradition and their self imposed ~exile~ (isolationism, corrected) from the world for a long time.<p>But there must be a reason why they excel, I mean really excel at anything they put their minds to.<p>Their population also tolerates this! These businesses stay in business!<p>Just to name a few things they're still unbeatable at:<p>1. Pens (This is a rabbit hole, buyer beware)<p>2. Paper (Midori! oh Midori)<p>3. Architecture (a function of their location, but none-the-less)<p>4. Art (manga, cartoons, all invaluable part of the pop culture even today)<p>5. I don't partake as much, but their food is unbelievable.<p>There's just something about their tenacity that we can take a morsel of.<p>edit: Corrected from exile, to isolationism.
Also, I did forget about photography! (Nikon!) and chalk!
All credits to people(ai?) in the comments below for these edits.
There's something pleasant to hand-made tools, dishes, etc. Taking the time to enjoy using, observing something as mundane as a mug or a comb on a regular basis, instead of rushing mindlessly through the day, surrounded by cheap, mass-produced, disposable items.<p>They're an even greater source of joy when you have some knowledge on them; the same goes for architecture, flora, etc.
Japanese culture has a particular attraction to westerners.<p>But it’s an illusion from marketing than reality.<p>It may be true that many aspects of Japanese culture are better than the American stuff, but doesn’t mean Japan has any global advantage in their fancy niche products over other countries like China, Korea, Sweden, or Switzerland.<p>Just as an example, the pantheon comb by a Slovakian company eclipses this “fancy” 200 dollar Japanese one.
The best part about becoming bald is that I can shave my head in like 5 minutes for free. It’s wild to me that people will spend so much money on hair care but I guess I might do the same if I had any lol
I've spent $20 on British-made hand polished plastic combs, but that's my limit. Worth it for comb snobs like me. I suppose everyone has different standards for luxury.
I paid more than that for a used abacus, best handmade quality for business use, dating to the 1960's. But I'm a mathematician with a brush cut.
I wish I knew of this earlier. My wife and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary at the end of the month and our theme this year calls for something made of wood. Unfortunately the timing and logistical challenge of sourcing something like this from Japan rules it out as a potential gift idea.
It’s worth admiring businesses like this, though they may not be for the HN crowd that only thinks about companies that can scale to a billion dollars. If the AI dream becomes real, lots of the businesses around today are going to the next generation’s $200 comb.<p>For every industry mass production kills, there is at least one company that survives by making an artisan alternative.