my son is going to Osaka next month .. can you give some info about knife shops there?
thanks lcb
Sure! If your son is in the city itself, the easiest place to go would be the kitchenware area, Doguyasuji, which is a 100m+-long kitchenware arcarde, right near (Nankai) Nanba Station. Very central and convenient. Ichimonji Chuki has 3 floors, is one of the largest shops there, and also has greatest number of knives on sale, which I think are exclusively Ichimonji (house brand, as warned above). They also have the largest selection of sharpening gear, though I found slightly cheaper prices for this elsewhere.
Same side of the lane very near to Ichimonji is Yamashita (90% sure that was the name). It's a much smaller shop run by some old folks, but 2nd in the size of its knife selection. They sell Sakai Takayuki, if memory serves.
The other shops around there will also carry some knives, but fewer and I think these 2 are the ones to look at. It might sound a bit boring, but your son can also visit the department stores. Daimaru ... Takashimaya....? I was trying to check and then became unsure, but one of them carries Kiya I believe and another Aritsugu from Kyoto. Yes, I think it was these two stores...
Of course he could visit Sakai, too, a short train ride away. The one place around that stocks a variety of makers is the Sakai Hamono Museum, in the upstairs floor shop. Big variety of sakai knives from smaller makers, though (as with other places) don't expect assistance in English (and in fact in other places the staff are more helpful too). I think discounts migiht be possible here.
On the same road as the Museum, but at least a 20min walk away it's easy to find the Tadatsuna shop (nice) or, going the opposite way from the museum, the Sakai Yusuke shop (too late in the day, so I didn't actually go in). Of course there are several other makers around, but from my one day there they don't really cater to knife pilgrims and they seemed more difficult to find.
Hope that's enough. I know a bit more but probably it's enough for your son's mission. Of course, a souvenir knife would be great!