Lights out on Nittosha matchbooks prompts nostalgia in Japan

By YURI KAGEYAMA
Associated Press

HIMEJI, Japan (AP) — Nittosha, a small Japanese manufacturer, is stopping the production of matchbooks. The company, which employs 130 people, is a testament to the hard work and dedication at small and medium-size companies that are the backbones of large economies, including the U.S. and Japan. It’s also a story of a family, the firstborn Onishi sons, who have inherited the business through four generations. Nittosha speaks of an era when quaint, colorful “book matches” served as fashionable advertisements, given out free at bars, restaurants and hotels. A recent announcement matchbook orders were ending in June drew an outpouring of emotions in Japan.