. >> reporter: we are at the matsuoka families home. the husband started smoke drying food two years ago. matsuoka loves being outside. he began this as a hobby. everything in his house is completely electronic, so when the blackouts started after the disaster, his family couldn't cook anything. suddenly his hobby had taken on new importance. >> translator: i had a lot of eggs that were going to expire around the day of the blackout in my area. i dry smoked them and we were able to eat them over several days. >> reporter: smoke drying removes moisture from food like this cheese, making it last longer. after the rolling blackouts began, matsuoka started to dry smoke all kinds of food. >> translator: my husband was just doing it as a hobby, but since the earthquake, we have realized that it has become very practical for our daily living. >> reporter: sales for smoke drying appliances have increased. people want to preserve food in case of disasters and blackouts. this set consists of a cardboard box and aluminum plate and wood chips. this