Mr. Shozo Yamaguchi was born in Kyoto. In 1998, he joined KUMAGAI Co., Ltd., a company specializing in Kyoto ware as he wished to do work which is related to Kyoto, his hometown. Being a salesperson, he has developed new sales channels for this company. The most memorable event happened during his second year with the company when he was involved with the product development project of chopstick rest. In response to requests from the owner of a chopsticks shop, he produced new items through working in partnership with a pottery manufacturer. This experience gave him a sense of accomplishment and motivated him to create a number of original chopstick rests later on. Good responses from consumers who picked up the products of KUMAGAI at the store make him the happiest. “I am very pleased to hear voices of consumer saying- I found exactly what I was looking for!”. I think this is a challenging job because our product planning pursues tiny variation in items which meet each of our customer’s satisfaction”, says Mr. Yamaguchi. Chopstick rest is a good first step to start enjoying a sense of the season at home for beginners of Kyoto ware. The world of Kyoto ware that Mr. Yamaguchi brings is open to everyone from children to adults.