A Tokyo kitchen has no counter to dry things on. So things dry standing up.

A typical Tokyo studio is about 20 square meters — the whole apartment, not the kitchen. A US studio runs more than twice that, and a new US house gives the kitchen alone something like 300 square feet. Japan's kitchen tools were designed for the first number. Most of them are just as useful in an American apartment, and a few are exactly what a small US kitchen is missing.

Drying boards upright isn't only about space. Board makers say so: John Boos tells you to "let it air dry standing up to prevent water from pooling," and the University of Maine's food-safety extension recommends drying boards vertically because trapped moisture "can lead to the growth of microorganisms or mold." A wet board left flat traps moisture underneath.

Footprint. A board stand is under five inches square. A compact rack is about a foot by fifteen inches. An over-sink rack uses no counter at all.

What it holds. Stands take two boards or a board and a pot lid. Racks vary from "a few plates and glasses" to nine plates plus flatware.

Rust. Powder-coated steel is fine while the coating holds; stainless generally resists corrosion better. "Rust-resistant" on a spec sheet often means coated steel, so check the material line.