…get thee to the closest Tokyu Hands and get your paws on some Natamame toothpaste! It claims to smite your bad breath in four different flavors: Rose, Aloe (does aloe have a flavor?), Persimmon and Bamboo Charcoal. Yes, the black kind. Even stranger, guess what this toothpaste is made from? Sword beans!
Believe it or not, these jumbo legumes are known throughout Asia for banishing bad breath (although one wonders exactly how that works, in the absence of these big boys being processed down into nice little toothbrush-friendly tubes.)
I saw this in the Ikebukuro Tokyu Hands store.
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The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for
Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon
“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Only In Japan 
I’m a sucker for anything in charcoal so I might just have to try that one out…
Hey, did you see that shop in Kawagoe that had puppies and kittens and horses carved from sumi? They were sitting out a table in front of the store. With beady polished sumi eyes!