In centuries past, cooking in a Japanese kitchen involved moving between a dirt floor and a raised area with wooden floorboards. Modern kitchens, meanwhile, incorporate all sorts of convenient, space-saving measures. Our guest, associate professor Suzaki Fumiyo, tells the story of that evolution, and explains why some Japanese are choosing to go back to a traditional dirt-floor kitchen. And in Plus One, Matt Alt learns about some traditional kitchen utensils.

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