Last year when lived in Kyoto for a while I received a wonderful knife from a Tofumaker. When I went home to Mitsu, the small village where my grandmother lives in, I immediately started to sharpen the knife I received. I wanted to learn how to sharpen the knife as it is such a pleasure to cut vegetables with a freshly sharpened knife. Like, if you cut through tomato and you actually cut instead of pressing it down until the tomato is squeezed completely – this is wonderful. So, this year I thought I should sharpen the knives of the villagers. I made a poster and hang it out on the street. But my grandmother did not like it at all because she was afraid that everybody would come and I would be buried under old and rusty knives. She even suggested that I should write “two knives per person only”. Anyway in the first few days only one customer appeared and it was my grandmothers younger brother. He brought some knives, all very rusty and cheap. Besides his knives I sharpened my grandmothers knives as well. As I did not want any money for my service, grandfather (my grandmothers brother, actually everybody is called grandfather and grandmother in the village), brought me one kilo of good tango rice in return. A few days later I went to knock on our neighbors door and asked the very nice grandmother if I should sharpen her knives as well. Of course, she saw the sign but was too shy to come by. I sharpened her knives and she brought me three very nice fishes in return. Ever since my sister and I think, if we would live in that village, we would just provide some simple service and get paid with food and do not need any money at all!
