Kappabashi Kitchen Town, Tokyo is a cook’s shopping paradise. There are over 180 cooking, kitchen and restaurant supply stores extended over six blocks. Here even the kitchen sink is for sale – every pot and pan, serving dish, utensil, kitchen appliance that a cook can imagine. Kappabashi is located between Ueno and Asakusa so you can combine it with a temple or museum visit and have an exhausting but wonderful day!

Kappabashi Kitchen Town, Tokyo

My top 10 items to buy and things to do in Kappabashi Kitchen Town are:

1. 1. Knives – get them engraved in 1-2 hours and give as gifts
   2. Japanese pottery – ideal for everyday eating or gifts
   3. Bamboo baskets and trays
   4. Cake decoration in bulk size – sprinkles and food coloring
   5. Cookie cutters – every shape imaginable in Japanese and foreign themes
   6. Chopsticks – simple or engraved
   7. Branding irons with cute motifs – fun to make designs on tofu or other food
   8. Japanese iron pots and pans – they last forever!
   9. Sample food making at Ganso
   10. Break at the Bridge Coffee and Ice-cream Shop (3-1-12 Matsugaya, Taito-ku) – a great stop when you are waiting for your knives to be engraved.

Kappabashi is relatively quiet during the week, and you can navigate and take time viewing all the items from 9:00 – 17:00. Saturday is very busy and crowded; about 90% of the stores are open. Try not to go on Sunday when very few stores are open.

Merchants started gathering in Kappabashi around 1912 selling tools and hardware items. Wikipedia notes: The street’s name is believed to come from either the kappa (raincoats) of nearby residents which were hung out to dry on the bridge or from a merchant named Kihachi Kappaya who funded the project to build Shinhorikawa River for water management. However, due to the homophone with the popular mythical creature, Kappa, the shops along the street have officially adopted the kappa as their mascot. Images of Kappa frequently appear in the area, from merchandise to displays, even on web sites about the district.

Tokyo Kappabashi (合羽橋) Kitchen Town

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Kappabashi Kitchen Town, Tokyo

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