Takuyuki Hamamura demonstrates how to use the Pacrin device in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, on Dec. 15, 2021. (Mainichi/Hajime Meno)

       IZUMO, Shimane -- A man in this west Japan city has invented a product that makes it easy to catch stink bugs that emit a foul odor when touched, all to make his wife's everyday life in the mountains easier.

       Takuyuki Hamamura, 46, managing director of Hamamura Mokuzai lumber company in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, spent some eight years creating the product "Pacrin," and has even obtained a patent for it. Behind the development is his love for his wife, Satomi, 34.

       Pacrin, which refers to reach extenders, has an adhesive sheet on the tip that sticks to stink bugs, and when you hold the handle, the sheet folds inward. By stepping on the edge of the sheet with your foot, you can remove it and dispose of the stink bug without touching it. The product can also be used for cockroaches and centipedes.

       Takuyuki married Satomi more than 10 years ago, and they began living together at his parents' home in the city's Sadacho area located in the mountains. One day, when he came home from work, he was surprised to see a strange sight of many paper cups lined upside down at the entrance. In the area, stink bugs frequently come into houses.

       Being a city woman, Satomi was not fond of stink bugs, and all she could do was to keep them from moving by covering them with paper cups. For several years, Takuyuki threw away the paper cups and the stink bugs in them, but he decided to do something about it and started making stink bug traps around 2013.

       This photo taken on Dec. 15, 2021 shows stink bugs captured by the Pacrin in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture. (Mainichi/Hajime Meno)

       Since people who are used to stink bugs often turn to packing tape and other tools to catch them, Takuyuki first came up with the idea of a stick with an adhesive sheet attached to the end. He then bought a large quantity of reach extenders, which allow the tip of the handle to be moved by hand, at a 100-yen store. Satomi and his father, Masao, 72, Hamamura Mokuzai president, joined him in a trial and error process after work and on holidays. To prevent the adhesive sheet itself from sticking to the wall or ceiling when capturing bugs, they made sure that the sheet creates a small space.

       After many efforts, Takuyuki completed the product in March 2021. He started selling it on the internet in October that year, and orders have come from Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido and the southwestern Kyushu region, with some guest house operators buying more than 10 Pacrin products at a time. He was surprised to learn that many people are troubled by stink bugs.

       Satomi was supposed to be impressed by her husband's painstaking invention, but over the course of eight years, she became accustomed to living in the mountains and was able to deal with the stink bugs on her own. Takuyuki said, with a self-deprecating laugh, "It turned out all right."

       "Aside from that, I'm glad I was able to create a useful product for the public. I also want people all over Japan to know about the Sadacho area, which is rich in nature."

       The Pacrin device comes with two specialized sheets for 3,300 yen (about $28). An additional set of eight sheets costs 440 yen (about $3.80). For inquiries, call Hamamura Mokuzai's stink bug control office at 0853-84-9787 (in Japanese).

       (Japanese original by Hajime Meno, Matsue Bureau)

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