r/TrueChefKnives • u/SB4_Camaro • 2d ago
“Kappabashi was disappointing
Went to Kappabashi today specifically looking for a 165–180mm carbon steel santoku, and I came away pretty disappointed.
I was looking for stuff along the lines of a Hatsukokoro Kumokage Blue #2, Tetsujin Metal Flow Blue #2, HADO Junpaku White #1, Hinoura Blue Super, or even something interesting in Blue #1 from a smaller smith.
I checked several knife shops and showed them exactly what I was after: carbon steel, preferably kurouchi/nashiji/kasumi, understated finish, no flashy Damascus, and ideally something from an actual smith rather than a generic production line.
Most of what I saw felt heavily aimed at tourists: lots of polished stainless, Damascus, flashy finishes, and knives that looked nice in a display case but very little that interested me as someone already into Japanese knives.
I’m not saying Kappabashi has bad knives. There are obviously good shops there. But if you’re looking for specific smiths, steels, grinds, or more enthusiast-oriented carbon knives, it felt much more limited than I expected.
Honestly, I think I’m just going to order the Kumokage I wanted in the first place.
Anyone else had the same experience with Kappabashi? Or did I miss a shop that actually carries more niche carbon steel stuff?
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u/Ok-Distribution-9591 2d ago edited 1d ago
Tokuzo usually have similar stuff to the Kumokage line (Tosa KU stuff), and Morihei not on Kappabashi but not far (Asakusabashi) as well. Tsubaya, Kamata, Kama-Asa all have some understated (Migaki in good part) heavy hitters (forged by Nakagawa, Togashi, Tanaka, etc) for sales.
You went in with the wrong expectations and pretty specific knives in your head. Tetsujin is not really sold by anyone on Kappabashi, let alone metalflow, Junpaku is not produced in enough numbers to be readily available though Seisuke on Kappabashi has had them in the past, Hinoura Blue Super is not common at all (Mutsumi-san got some being made now, but I am not even sure he made any since he went independent), and Blue#1 is used less than other paper steels in the first place.
That being said, there is a large number of knife shops which do cater heavily for the tourist market, and the only way for them to keep up with such a sizable audience and its taste is too lean heavily on higher production volume factory knives of various « eye-catching » finishes.
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u/iFEAR2Fap 2d ago
OP, did you hit up Kama-asa? Or even the Tojiro store (that may be a little south). But the Tojiro Atelier line in Japan does come in a stainless clad blue as an option.
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u/Null0Naru 2d ago
You're unfortunately in the wrong place to find those kinds of knives. The reason Kappabashi feels aimed at tourists is because it is. Doesn't mean you can't get good knives there, but hard to find specific things.
I'd strongly recommend Hitohira if you're still in Tokyo. I dropped by there yesterday and got one of the knives I was looking for, though you'll likely need to ask as they didn't have what I wanted on display, they had to get it "from the back" as it were. Staff are very friendly and knowledgeable, should help you get something you're looking for.
You likely won't have any luck with Tetsujin Metal Flow, though I was after the ginsan line, it seemed they were fully out. I did spot some non-metal flow Tetsujins there though
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u/SB4_Camaro 2d ago
I live in Japan, Hitohira is a great shop.
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u/gigglegoggles 1d ago
So I have to know. Which knives do the average Japanese use?
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u/SB4_Camaro 1d ago
Knives from the daiso. I've been here 8 years and don't know anyone with expensive knives like what u see here. Most makers sell their knives outside of Japan to knife stores.
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u/iFEAR2Fap 2d ago
Out of curiosity, did they have any Tetsujin 270 sujihikis? My trip to Tokyo isn't for another month, but now I'm nosey. lol
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u/BertusHondenbrok 2d ago
If they did they will be long gone when you arrive I’m assuming haha.
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u/iFEAR2Fap 2d ago
I would imagine the same. Although I've heard their Tetsujin pipeline is on the stronger side. I will probably just grab a Kagekiyo w2 while I'm in Sakai If they have one at Baba.
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u/Null0Naru 2d ago
Not that I saw, but they don't have everything out on display so you'd have to ask them when you visit
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u/Attila0076 2d ago
Just send them an email or contact them on socials to basically "pre order" or have them source one by the time you're there.
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u/bumbaklutz 1d ago
Hitohira is the best knife store I visited in Tokyo. Great curated selection with fair pricing.
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u/LarryAv 2d ago
YOU'RE A TOURIST TOO!
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u/Plane-Government576 2d ago
He obviously means tourists who heard Japan had the best knives, not tourists who have done their research
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u/Mr94 2d ago
Kappabashi has changed so much since before Covid. The price, the availability and the type of knives have all got much worse IMHO. It used to feel more like it catered to the food industry, now it feels very touristy.
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u/SB4_Camaro 1d ago
it's a tourist trap now with gaijin prices. I watched a salesman sell a pull through shit sharpener to some foreigners that just bought an over priced vg10 guyto
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u/Imaginary-Set3291 1d ago
Get yourself on a Shinkansen and go to Echizen in Fukui prefecture. Visit actual smiths. Talk with them. Get your knife from the people who made it.
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u/WeightLittle8210 1d ago
Unfortunately, you hit up the wrong place for knives in Tokyo. Knives there are low quality and tourist traps for the most part. The better stores are pricier too.
People visit the street mainly for kitchware
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u/Valuable-Gap-3720 1d ago
Mostly agree. It is great to get very good quality mass produced knives like kiwi for very cheap, but all the fancy shops with hand made stuff are crazy over priced for both knives and stones. The chopsticks shops are pretty cool tho, and you could get awesome cheap pans.
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u/beagles4ever 1d ago
I was in Kappabashi looking for a 165 - 180 carbon steel santoku with a karauchi finish a few years ago and the only problem I had was having way too many choices.
But if you make to to Osaka - I can't recommend Sekai more highly enough. Both the museum, but going to the smaller shops where you can get invited into the workshops where they make the knives by hand themselves.
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u/citynomad1 1d ago
Are you heading to Kyoto at all?
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u/SB4_Camaro 1d ago
Not anytime soon, but I will be going to the knife festival in Seki this year.
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u/karatekidmar 1d ago
When I went to Kappabashi I was very underwhelmed. The street itself was cool to look at. We ended up getting placemats we really love because we’re into our table settings, but the knives were a letdown.
I live near Knifewear and I find they had better selection/prices.
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u/SB4_Camaro 1d ago
lol i just bought the knife i was looking for from knifewear. I live in Japan. Hilarious isnt it?
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u/zvchtvbb 1d ago
I went to Kappabashi knowing like a tenth of what I know today, and was still let down. I feel like the Western retailers (including Knifewear) have much better selections than most of the shops I went to. If I made it to Sakai I think I'd feel a little differently though
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u/BertusHondenbrok 1d ago
Not really. It just tells you that the average Japanese isn’t buying €500 kitchen knives and that most of those luxury items are made for the overseas market.
There is tons of great Japanese knives to be found in Japan though, you just happened to look for something that is in high demand and low supply so just jumping into a random knife shop does not always yield the best results.
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u/SB4_Camaro 1d ago
Dude, I live in Japan and ended up buying a Japanese knife from overseas. That’s what I found funny. I wasn’t making a statement about the average Japanese household’s knife budget. 99% buy their knives from the daiso.
And where did you get “jumping into a random knife shop” from? These aren't random it's a district devoted to kitchen items with dedicated knife stores.
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u/BertusHondenbrok 2d ago
Tbf to Kappabashi vendors, your wishlist is quite specific and no matter where you’re shopping you’ll have to get lucky to find stuff like that in stock.
But yeah, Kappabashi stores are generally aimed towards tourists and not to knife collectors. There’s a few nice stores with more interesting wares though.