Going to Japan

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fecfitz

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Hi there.
I´m going to Japan next month on business trip and have 1.5 days to visit Osaka and Kyoto. Most time will be spent with sightseeing, nevertheless the current plan also includes to visit Yamashita in Osaka and Shigeharu in Kyoto.


I was wondering if you could tell me something about the quality of these two stores compared to standard brands also available on internet stores. Is it worth buying locally?

Thanks!
 
I think it's always worth it to get your hands on things.
 
I i hear Kyoto one thing rings my ear:

JNAT!!!!!!!!

Its the best place to get the real stuff! Prepare to pay dearly for it thought.....
 
visit shigefusa. it is a massively overly loved maker for a reason. buy one of his knives from him at a wholesale value and cherish it with your life. his grind is uncomparable.
 
it really depends on what worth it is to you. for some, it includes the chance to check out some knives in person or pick out "their" knife. for others, there's a certain romantic idea of buying a souvenir. i haven't actually been to yamashita/shigeharu. i've only heard of the latter and am pretty sure their knives are sakai oem, which probably means decent quality. i think a few stores in osaka's doguyasuji looked promising and had decent range.

however, if you looked at it objectively, then you can't beat online value and selection. personally, i think without a good grasp of japanese, it's not too easy to communicate with most stores and this could either make the shopping experience frustrating or more interesting. it's really down to your personal perspective. i myself had good experiences shopping for knives in tokyo and sakai.

also, you can't visit shigefusa. it's not even near osaka/kyoto, not to mention lack of a shopfront and the waitlist for a knife.
 
Thanks so far!

I´ll just step in one of these shops if our timetable fits. Perhaps a knife immediately catches my attention ;)
Anyway, I´ll be in Tokyo a week after, so plenty of opportunities.
 
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