Various factors influence the taste of rice crackers. Not only the ingredients,but also the production method makes big differences. With the best ingredients gathered in the year,we make our okaki by checking the condition of rice with our own hands and sense while adopting machines as tools.
To keep the soft yet rich flavour of rice inside the okaki is not easy: if we mechanized the key processes where the hands should be used, the taste would be changed drastically.
"Do not work for work,work for products" - this is a saying descended from the craftmen of old times. We keep the phrase in our minds as our motto of making okaki.

How are okaki and senbei different?

Okaki are the big rice crackers made of glutinous rice(mochi-gome)*.In the old days, people avoided using a knife to divide kagamimochi,the sacred rice cake presented at holy events,so they used their hands(=kaki-totta) instead: it is said that the name okaki came from this custom.
Senbei are the rice crackera made of non-glutinous rice(uruchi-gome). Sometimes they are also made of flour,like kawara-senbei, or starch, like ebi-senbei. In sum,okaki and senbei are made of different ingredients.

What is the difference between arare and okaki?

Broadly spealing,arare are small and okaki are a little bit bigger.Long time ago,people roast rice in horoku*.It is assumed that arere's name has its origin in the spattering rice grains in the pan that looked like hailstones(=arare)falling from the sky. Although it depends on each company, the bigger rice crackers are usually called okaki.
*horoku***A flat earthen pan. It is used to roast tealeaves,beans,salt and so on.

Why does Genbudo use Hiyokumochi rice from Sga prefecture?
Why not the rice of Toyooka city?

Weused to use Tyooka's glutinous rice: however,there were not enough farmers raised it and therefore we could not maintain the stable production.
Thus,we now use Toyooka's rice only to some of our products.Hiyokimochi from Saga,where they have a long history of glutinous rice farming with rich soil and water,has delicious taste and is also stably available throughout the year,so we have made contracts with the trusted local farmers.
Hiyokumochi turns into perfect rice crackers.

What do you mean by"handmade okaki"? How is it so?

We do use some machines in the production process.But we make sure to use nothing but our own hands at the stages where machines could change the rich taste of okaki.
We consider machines as tools: it is sometimes better to use machines than to try doing everything by hands when the goog tools can make our okaki taste even more delicious.
But then again,we would like to remind you that we put great emphasis on our own sense and intution in makingokaki.

Is Romina genbudo product?

Yes,we started making it in the 1960s(showa 40s). We have sold it over 40 years by today,so Romina is our number one long-time seller.

Genbudo okaki are very delicious but a little expensive. Can they be cheaper?

Our products often get compared with other companies' senbei made of chaper ingredients; but we believe that we have higher cos-effectiveness compared to them. If we mechanized the whole process,maybe we could lower the price but the taste would change.
In order to keep the quality of our okaki, we will not compromise and use the cheaper ingredients.