Gifts on a japanese cupboard

Here's something that can be easily found in Japan, both in regular households and in the most common shops and hardware stores: it's binchotan, or sumi in japanese language that is charcoal, or biochar... wood matter transformed into its full content of C-carbon element, through a finely elaborated process. 

In this case, this remarkably heavy chunk has been placed on this shelf to absorb moisture and the smells of cooking... excellent piece indeed.

I am looking forward to start producing stuff like this... really soon!