Kitchenware paradise : Kappabashi street
The street called Kappabashi-dori, located in a district of Asakusa is very well known in Japan for the people who like to be in the paradise of kitchenware. Around 170 shops of tableware in more than 800m long. The street is also appreciated by the tourists who come to look for the souvenirs.
The entrance of the street can be found easilly with a huge statue of cook located on the top of the first building. There is also a festival of utensiles (dogu-matsuri) in each October since 1983 in this place.
The name of Kappabashi came from the word kappa which means a raincoat that the inhabitants of neighbourhood who dried outside, or from the name of a marchand Kappaya Kihachi. However, the word Kappa means also a surnatural creature of Japanese folk tale living near the riverside. The mascot of the street of Kappabashi was decided to be a Kappa accordingly.
People who love the cooking including professiona cooks come to Kappabashi-dori for searching their ustensiles of all types. We can find Japanese ceramic special items, the chopsticks, the utensiles of bakery, and especially the knives: Japanese knives are famous worldwide for their exceptional quality and you can find the wide variation of knives in the street of Kappabashi : the ones for cutting meat, or fish, or vegetables, or for multi-usages.... You can find a knife for every purpose.
The other purpose that many tourists come to see in this Kappabashi, it is the shops of "shokuhin sampuru" (食品サンプル), the "sample foods" looks so real and natural but made by wax or synthetic resin. They are very popular in Japan and you can find them in the showcase of many restaurants. It helps to understand visually about the cooked dishes by the restaurant, and they are very helpful for the foreigners who do not understand Japanese for making choices.
We can purchase the ready-made ones, but it is also possible to make personalized the dishes which corresponding parfectly in the menu of the restaurant.
You can buy some miniatures to bring back to your country as a souvenir in some restaurants. You can stay for long time to see those appetizing creations!
The Kappabashi street is a very nice place to go in Tokyo, and even you are not intrested in the kitchen tools, you will be fascinated easily by this place.
Click here to check our excursion "Half day (Morning/ Afternoon) The Seven Deities of good fortune pilgrimage in Asakusa".
Click here to see another ideas of excursions in Tokyo.