[originaltext]W: Good evening and welcome to our program. Today we’ll talk abou

W: Good evening and welcome to our program. Today we’ll talk about several interesting cultural artifacts that are a part of daily lives of the Japanese, and perhaps other Asian countries as well. We’re very happy to have Ben Smith here.
M: Thank you.
W: Well, artifacts made of bamboo are very important in Japanese culture.
M: Yes. For hundreds and even thousands of years, the bamboo plant has played an important role in the lives of the Japanese, and at one time, it was believed that the Shinto gods could be found in the stem of the bamboo plant, and this is something that is portrayed in one of Japan’s oldest tales, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
W: That sounds interesting. Bamboo is a very versatile plant. It’s light and flexible, but strong, and there are many varieties of it. They can be used to make various artifacts.
M: Yeah, and some of them are really exquisite.
W: Very happily, Mr. Smith has brought here several bamboo artifacts. So can you introduce them to us, Mr. Smith?
M: Sure. The first one is a chashaku. It is a ten spoon, and it is used for measuring powdered green tea during the tea ceremony.
W: That’s fine. What about this?
M: Uh, it is a tea whisk. It is for mixing the powdered green tea in a small bowl until it becomes a foamy mixture.
W: Wow, it is so nice and I love it. Thank you for showing us these fine artifacts, Mr. Smith.
M: My pleasure