Would you believe that in Tokyo new police officers take a course in how to use chopsticks correctly? It's true. Tara Falk learned this when she went to Japan with her father on a business trip. Her father's friend, Mr. Sato, told them that the Japanese are really worried about the decline in the use of chopsticks.

He said that fifty years ago children used chopsticks correctly by the age of three. Today it may take until they are six or seven. Some never learn at all.

Tara saw“trainer chopsticks" in many Japanese stores. They were made of plastic with loops that show where to put your fingers. From the many thousands sold each day, you can see that the Japanese do not want to lose this old and important skill.