Kappabashi Knife Shopping Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Overview
Available languages
4 hours
Mobile ticket
This tour will take you on a shopping trip to see famous, high quality knife shops in Tsukiji and Kappabashi! You will also learn about the different types of knives used in Japanese cooking!
Your tour guide will pick you up at your hotel. As you navigate your way through in Tsukiji Market, learn from your guide why many of Japan’s top chefs visit daily for the freshest-quality ingredients and Japanese kitchen knives.
Next, visit Kappabashi Street. This street has long flourished as a supplier to the food and beverage industry. You can find high quality Japanese kitchen ware and knives at reasonable prices. Make sure to stop by some of the plastic display food shops to see interesting models of food for sale that you can see in restaurants all across Japan.
You can also head to nearby Tokyo Sky Tree to finish you tour.
After the tour, you can stay at one of these sites to enjoy the rest of your day at your leisure.
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
This is a walking tour. Please be aware pick up is on foot.
What To Expect
Tsukiji Fish Market
Welcome to Tsukiji Outer Market! Tsukiji Outer Market is a wholesale market that mainly caters to retailers, restaurants, and other buyers. About 400 shops are crammed into an area measuring 400 meters in length and 120 meters in width. Tsukiji Outer Market attracts more customers and tourists, and the stores offer a wide range of products for the general public. At Tsukiji Outer Market, there are several Japanese kitchen knife stores. All of them sell sharp kitchen knives that can be used not only by professional chefs and fishmongers, but also by the average homeowner.
Kappabashi Street (Kappabashi Dogugai)
Welcome to Kappabashi Dougu Street! Kappabashi Dougu Street is located in Tokyo’s Taito City, along the west side of Asakusa’s main entertainment district, and just midway between Ueno and Asakusa. It is a wholesale district for professional products such as tableware, packaging materials, cooking utensils, and food samples. Currently, more than 170 stores line the 800-meter-long street. Recently, it has been frequently introduced in the media, and many stores sell their products to the general public. Japanese knife stores have become popular tourist attractions especially among foreign visitors. You may be able to find what you are looking for at an affordable price.
Options
Kappabashi Knife Shopping Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Pickup included
What‘s Included
Meet up with guide on foot within designated area of Tokyo
Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
Private Vehicle
You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
Both Guide and Guest Entry fees are not covered for Skytree
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
13 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
A beautiful conclusion to our trip to Japan!
Debra R,Jun 8, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00We had such a lovely day with Haruka all around Kappabashi and surrounding areas. She was absolutely fluent in English and so knowledgable about not only knives--she had in depth answers to any question we asked. In addition, she is kind and fun! It was a delightful way to learn about Tokyo and Japanese culture while we ate yummy treats and bought lovely souvenirs! And she gave us honest opinions about any deals we considered. It was like shopping with a good friend!
Kappabashi Street and Asakusa
PaulineB226,Mar 5, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My guide Seizo was fantastic. At Asakusa Temple he showed me the correct way to approach and enter the temple. The explanation of these rituals was fascinating. The stories about various aspects of the Temple were very interesting. We then went to Kappabashi Street where I was able to find the most beautiful knives and teapot. From there he took a detour to show me the outside of the Imperial Palace, again his knowledge and story telling was wonderful. A trip through the fish market finished our tour. I highly recommend this tour and Seizo as a guide.
Highlight of Tokyo
Travlnlots,Feb 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What a great experience! Solo, 1 on 1 tour of the new and old fish markets. I could not believe the new Toyosu market...the size, activity and the sheer volume of product. Amazing to see. Matt was a great guide. Grew up in the UK and spoke perfect English and Japanese which was a great benefit. He guided us through the active market and then we went to Tsukiji market and stopped at some of the food stands, did some shopping before heading the best part of the experience...making sushi. When booking there were not enough people for the tour so I inquired and was able to do a private tour by covering the cost for multiple spots. Doing this was great and enable a special sushi making event at a small sushi restaurant which focuses on high quality tuna. 1 on 1 with the sushi chef, making my own lunch and then drinking some famous...and delicious sake. I will do this exact tour again when I am back with my family. Fantastic experience.
Fantastic tour of must-see places
Y2052GNamyk,Feb 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Izumi was a fantastic guide. He covered our itinerary to Tsujiki, Asakasa, and Kapabashi in a very thorough and detailed way, and also included lots of general cultural and historical background. We took a couple of unplanned detours into temples and shrines along the way, which I enjoyed very much. I highly recommend Izumi’s tour to anyone interested in a fun and engaging visit to some of the “must see” items on your Tokyo list.
It’s a bird , not it’s a plane ! No! , it’s super Japanese guide !!!!!
502brockd,Nov 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Absolutely fantastic!, not just a knife tour at all. The guide Sam was very informative about the shops and the building’s history. AAA plus
Perfect Tour with our Guide Lily
Eva S,Apr 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our guide Lily was very punctual, helpful, patient, gave many tips, answered all questions and spoke very good English; she was an English teacher. A great half day.
Old world charm and grace !
PCBalachandran,Nov 16, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our guide was Mr.Shuji an avuncular old gentleman who , with old world courtesy and graciousness took us for a delightful tour of the Tsukiji market and Kappabashi street. Our tardy purchases meant that instead of staying with his timetable, we photo finished to our Shinkansen connection to Tokyo. Very considerately he accompanied us to the railway station,showed us the entrance to our platform and wished us safe travels. Have absolutely no hesitation in recommending him to anyone !
Much more than a knife shopping tour!
dickd153,Oct 13, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Knife shopping was the key driver for booking this tour, but we got much, much more out of the experience with our guide, Hiro Chikata. It was only our second full day in Tokyo, and we had already trekked back and forth twice through a long underground passage to a Ginza station near our hotel. Instead of taking us on that same boring route, Hiro took us on a longer walk to a different metro line station, which had us strolling through beautiful parks and a green residential neighborhood instead of a boring repeat trip through a tunnel. Our first destination was the Tsukiji outdoor shopping market with a stop beforehand at the lovely Hongan-ji Temple that's nearby. Hiro helped thread our group through the maze of shops and stalls, filled with hungry fellow travelers. We tasted some samples that were being offered, had some snacks (onigiri, for one), and bought souvenirs. We did a quick viewing of Japanese chef knives at one shop, but decided to move on when we learned that they didn't offer international shipping. (This was a must for us because we were leaving Tokyo on a cruise ship that doesn't allow knives onboard, for obvious security reasons.) Our second destination was Kappabashi Street, but on our way there Hiro wisely steered us to the basement level food hall in the Mitsukoshi Department Store. The wide array of Japanese food options - including bento boxes that were mini works of art - was all just beyond belief! Hiro also knew to take us to an upper floor of the department store where we had our lunch on an outdoor terrace. (We liked this lunch option so well we made a point of coming back there the next day!) Guided to Kappabashi Street, we dipped in and out of the various kitchenware shops, finally arriving at a gorgeous knife shop that Hiro recommended where we ended up buying three knives that we had shipped home. (Pro tip: when they ship your items via DHL Express, they really mean EXPRESS - DHL attempted delivery just TWO days after our purchase, so we had to have them delay delivery until after we get home.) We also visited some of the plastic food shops where their offerings are just mind-blowing. Afterwards, we ending up skirting the Senso-ji temple area on the way back to our hotel because we were booked on another tour with our cruise line that was going there later in the week. Along the way, we popped into shops of interest (including a Hello Kitty store) and took note of the many couples in kimonos heading for the temple area for photo shoots of their own. The tour does require a fair amount of walking, but our group of three travelers in their late-60's (similar in age to our guide) with one 33-year old did just fine. Just- make sure you wear comfortable shoes! We got all we expected and much, much more out of this tour and from our guide, Hiro, who filled us in on a broad range of Japanese cultural topics, not just on knife shops. Highly recommended!
Great all around tour plus knife shopping
Steve E,Aug 15, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00I booked this tour because it combined a tour of the typical sites of Tokyo with knife shopping. First, the tour was by foot and train. We just followed our tour guide's instructions and it all worked out well. Even when it was over, he made sure we were on the right train, knowing which exit to take. He would have travelled all the way with us but that wasn't necessary. Because it was just our family, we could customize what we did. For the most part, we followed his lead. We learned a lot and saw some of the sites we wanted to see. When we went knife shopping, I really didn't know what I was doing. Our guide helped some and facilitated others helping. Again, this was all customizable. We visited about 10 shops and we could have kept going. But, I found what I wanted and we moved on. Other than knife shopping, I think my favorite part was the Tsukiji Fish Market area. My understanding is that the true fish market by the water is somewhere else but this place with all the small markets was awesome. Wish we could have spent more time there.
Knife shopping in Kappabashi
B2636AFalank,May 31, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It was a great morning - Izumi was very knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. He adapted the tour based on my requests and my goal of leaving Japan with a new set of cooking knives was accomplished
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Operated by Japan Guide Agency