This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Asia from the KU Center for East Asian Studies.

Rice and Asia. Rice and Asia. Go together like…like…well, I can’t really think of a rhyme at the moment but rice and Asia are as intertwined as conjoined twins. The history of the rice culture in Asia covers millennia and has shaped everything from demography to topography. And now it’s shaping running shoes. Specifically racing flats for champions. Hitoshi Makamura, master craftsman for Asics, the Japanese sporting goods company, has put ground rice husks into the soles of custom made shoes for Olympic marathon runners. He claims they provide cushioning and excellent traction on wet smooth surfaces of the type that will be found along the Beijing marathon route. And if they get hungry along the 26.2 miles way, well, they can always make…shoe-shee.

From the KU Center for East Asian Studies, I’m Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.