All About Japan

Learn How to Make Origami at the Dinner Table

Restaurants Japanese Food Origami

Some dining establishments set the table with a pair of chopsticks for each guest tucked inside of a paper chopstick sheath, called a hashibukuro in Japanese. With that piece of paper, why not try and make some some cool origami art?

http://yasuma.com/pro-kiseihin.html

Granted, hashibukuro don’t come in the square shape of traditional origami paper. Since their real purpose is to cover your chopsticks, hashibukuro are long and narrow. Still, the unorthodox dimensions don’t eliminate all of your artistic options.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3K00h18bJE

For starters, you can fold a classic crane. If you feel like trying your hand at this, the step-by-step video above will walk you through the process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9X4CB_B_kY

Next up is a doggie, the breed of which is identified in this video as a beagle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUBfR4lWVI4

Being made of paper, the beagle is extremely obedient at following commands to sit. Unfortunately, it isn’t as functional as the crane-shaped chopstick rest. But this origami “open heart” is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybouBLhaqyQ

If you’re an advanced origami practitioner and these all seem too easy for you, this miniature sailboat requires extra nimble fingertips.

While it’s the least likely of the bunch to win you any points with your Japanese cultural studies professor, it’s probably just the thing to get a laugh at a drinking party.

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