kenji ekuan died at the age of 85. he spent more than half a century creating products that were useful and beautiful, too. and it all began with his dream of lifting his country out of the ashes of the second world war. nhk world's minori takao spoke with him a couple of years ago when his works were on display in tokyo. >> reporter: ekuan worked on projects both large and small. the norita express trains linking tokyo and the airport bear his stamp. so does a crossing that incorporates signals and lighting in one big circle. best known of all, the bottle that instantly links the product with a particular producer. by all means, your most well-known work is this soy sauce table dispenser. it's really handy. lifting it at the neck is a breeze. >> translator: it has the shape of a water drop. it's meant to look natural. >> reporter: more than 50 years an tables around the world, and still unchanged. it's practical, too. let me pour some. >> translator: usually the soy sauce is drippy and can mess up the table. the salt