While not a research-level math question, I'm sure this is a question of interest to many research-level mathematicians, whose expertise I seek.


At RIMS (in Kyoto) in 2005, they had the best white chalk I've seen anywhere. It's slightly larger than standard American chalk, harder, heavier, and most importantly covered with some enamel-like coating that one must rub through (on the end) to be able to write with. One's hands don't rub through the coating, and thus don't get chalky.


Are there any U.S. manufacturers of such?


EDIT: even though someone has given a link whereby to order this stuff from Japan, I would still be delighted to hear about American products that beat Binney & Smith.



Where to buy premium white chalk in the U.S., like they have at RIMS?
You can buy it online [rakuten link deleted]


**Edit (2020-7-10):** Hagoromo Bunku company has been shut down in March 2015 ([Berkeley Alumni Magazine article](https://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/fall-2019/chalk-market-where-mathematicians-go-get-good-stuff)). There were two successors to their product, because the three custom machines they had for making chalk were sold to two parties.


1. Two machines, together with the rights to the "Hagoromo Fulltouch" name were sold to [Sejongmall](http://en.sejongmall.co.kr), a South Korean company. They have US dollar prices and ship internationally. Incidentally, the splash screen on their site has pictures of Brian Conrad and Andrei Okounkov pulled from a Japanese TV show about the chalk.
2. One machine was sold to Uma-jirushi, a Japanese blackboard maker with plans to expand to chalk. In April 2015 Uma-jirushi announced a new product called DC Chalk Deluxe (DCチョークDX) as "a collaboration with Hagoromo" in its catalog. However, Uma-jirushi [announced on 2020-1-26](https://www.uma-jirushi.co.jp/info/7895) that they would discontinue sales of DC chalk on 2020-5-31.


