Two years ago, a mysterious 20-second video clip triggered some unexpected buzz on the Web site YouTube. In the segment, an ordinary-looking housewife draws an invisible line across the chest of a shirt with her finger. Then she pinches the shirt under the armpit and at the shoulder, does a quick flipping motion, and then presents the audience with a perfectly folded shirt. People were baffled.
Commenters raved about the so-called "revolutionary" ninja trick, and viewers starting making copycat videos showing the "Japanese way of folding a T-shirt" in English. The video was so simple — one woman, one shirt, one swift move — but what it accomplished was profound. For many of the millions who viewed that video, it was their first time seeing an urawaza in action.
Urawaza means "secret trick" in Japanese, and the display was a glimpse into the treasure trove of household hints and life "hacks" that are an integral part of Japanese culture.