Plastic Food, Sushi Plates, And Chopsticks!

Kappabashi is Tokyo (More Michelin Stars Than Paris)'s kitchen district.  Located next to Asakusa and the famous Sensoji, Kappabashi is where restaurants go to purchase their startlingly life-like, plastic food samples, which then sit in display windows and try to reel in passers-by.  All my guide books refer to Kappabashi and its plastic food in passing, before refocusing on less frivolous sightseeing activities.  

If, for your whole life, you have longed for a slice of sashimi in keychain form, Kappabashi is the place to buy
 it.  You can also purchase a big bowl of plastic ramen or a giant slice of plastic pizza. Who doesn't need one of those?

Prefer to torment your sweet tooth?  An ice cream sundae would be torturous sitting on your desk.

Since Kappabashi has become one of my favorite places in Tokyo, I accuse the guidebooks of having done it a grave disservice!  Plastic food composes only a miniscule portion of the mind-boggling array of kitchen paraphernalia that can be found.  Kappabashi's main street is stuffed with shops that sell every kind of kitchen and restaurant item imaginable.  Industrial-sized rice cookers, dim sum baskets, giant whisks, rice paddles, wicked-looking knives, paper products, chopsticks, Tea Ceremony items, woks, enormous paper lanterns, seating cushions, cherry blossom cookie cutters...wait, how about I just show you?

You're not reading the price incorrectly.  These teapots are only 980 yen!

Bowls, bowls, bowls!  Big ones for noodles, medium ones for side dishes, and teensy ones for sake.
I have a mix n match collection of noodle bowls.  We use them for salads and curry soup. 

This is not the trip for kids!  Stores are piled high, from floor to ceiling. 

Stacks of sushi plates (well, that's what I think they are for) line the sidewalks.  Look at those prices. So cheap!

Shelves and shelves of chopstick rests.  So cute I can hardly stand it.

The chawan (tea bowls) used in Tea Ceremony.  Exquisite.  Quite reasonably priced.

You can't have chopstick rests without the chopsticks!

If pottery doesn't tempt you, perhaps a lacquerware shop might?  These
bento boxes are a great upgrade from the 100 Yen Store version!

Polished, wooden spoons snuggle alongside lacquered trays.  

Elegant sake sets.  

Confectionary tools give wagashi their delicate patterns. The pattern in the center is the Imperial Chrysanthemum.

Of course, you could buy generic versions of a lot of this stuff at the base Exchange, or one of the military bazaars.  Nothing wrong with that.  I am a huge bazaar fan! But, you could also get a lovely sake set in Kappabashi. With sushi plates to match.  This gives you a fabulous answer for when you return to the States and your dinner guests say, 

"Wow!  Where did you get such a beautiful sake set? World Market?"  

"Oh, I was shopping in Tokyo this one time, and decided to pop over to Kappabashi.  It's the kitchen district, you know..."  

See how much better it sounds than,

"I had to run into the Exchange to buy an Elmo DVD for my kid and decided to grab this sake set, also."

Those bazaars and the Exchange, while great in a pinch, don't sell confectionary tools.  You can't buy a giant, red lantern to create your own izakaya in your basement.  You won't smell the incense wafting from a nearby temple as you mull over which glazed, soy bottle goes best with your new sushi plates.  The next time someone laughs about how tourists go to Kappabashi to look at plastic ice cream cones, just smile.  You know better!

Ganbatte!

-The Tofu Fox

Plan a whole day for shopping, if you can.  There are over 50 different shops!  Ask inside one of the stores for an English pamphlet of the area.  The pamphlet has each shop numbered and categorized, so you don't need to waste time looking for what you want.  Bring a large, sturdy tote and lots of yen.  Some shops take credit cards, but others don't or require a minimum purchase.  Normally, I am the first to encourage dragging kids on sightseeing excursions; however, for this trip, don't bring your kids.  It. Will. Not. End. Well.

Kappabashi's nearest train station is the Tawaramachi Station, accessed by the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.  Since you are so close, you can make a stop, pre-shopping, at Asakusa's Sensoji temple or the Tokyo Sky Tree.  

The confectionary tools can be purchased at Arai Shouten, the shop that is labeled as #23 on the guide.  


Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you!