Helping the medical community by drinking at home? Yes, please.

The hashtag “#stayhome” is by far one of the most popular phrases of 2020 thus far (especially with so many businesses being asked to temporarily close their doors), but there may be many that wish they could do more to halt the spread of COVID-19 other than staying at home. Luckily, Japanese company Ohashi Ryoki has come up with a way to let you help others while enjoying a piece of traditional Japanese culture.

From April 7 to May 31, the company is selling specially made “I’m not going to lose to coronavirus; I’m going to enjoy my time at home” masu, a sake drinking vessel that looks like a wooden box. They’ll be sold for 660 yen (US$6.15) apiece, and part of the profits will be donated to Doctors without Borders’ (or MSF) emergency fundraiser for medical workers worldwide to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

▼ It’s branded with the hashtag “#stayhome” to encourage people to, well, stay home and enjoy the growing trend of drinking with friends via video chatrooms.

To put it into perspective, about 3,000 yen of donations can provide a medical worker with one set of personal protective gear, 5,000 yen can give them 42 protective masks, and 10,000 yen is enough for 21 pairs of disposable gloves. Ohashi Ryoki is planning on announcing their fundraising results once at the end of April and again at the end of May.

“Okay, that’s cool, but how do you use it?” you may be thinking. Masu are sometimes used as a way to catch the overflow from a normal sake glass, but you can also drink sake directly from it. This can elevate your entire sake experience in a way since you’ll be getting a whiff of the fragrant wood with each sip.

▼ And it makes you look pretty trendy in an online drinking party.

It seems like these special masu are only being sold in Japan right now, but if you’re in Japan or know someone in Japan, you could help donate to a worthy cause while becoming acquainted with some traditional drinking culture.

Sources: Ohashi Ryoki, PR Times
Images: PR Times
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