going to kyoto

I hear kyoto is the natural stone capital of japan, maybe the world. Anyone been, and can recommend a good jnat dealer?

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zjnZYjN-lhwU.ko-vwuRfFr7g&hl=en

make some pictures

Hi,

I was in Kyoto last year looking for some good knives and jnats.

I was at Aritsugus Store in the Nishiki Market and they had a few nice stones for moderate (but not cheap) prices. But I think the store and the knives alone are worth a visit.

A short walk from Fushimi Inari shrine there is the store of Furata. They had some interesting stones for very good prices, but mostly unmarked and the communication was a bit difficult, but maybe if you now your jnats very well, you can make a nice deal there.

My best bargain was a huge Hideriyama Koppa (good quality, very homogenous and nice shape, about 3kg for 13 000 Yen, I use it a lot) stone I bought from a tool dealer at the junction of Shiokoji Dori/ Aburanokoji Dori (quite big store with big "Makita"-signs in the store front). They had a small selection of good synth. Stones and diamond plates (normal prices I would say) and a few very nice jnats. The perfectly shaped stones are (I would say) normal price, but the Koppas (they had only Hideriyama I think) are really cheap there But also had a few very nice handmade (and sometimes very expensive) kiridashis, hammers and so on... kitchenknives only standard stuff like Fujiwara FKM, Tojiro and so on.

Have a nice trip and be sure to get some decent Yakitori there :hungry:
(at the big juction around the corner is a nice Yakitori joint)


Regards, Iggy

berko said:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zjnZYjN-lhwU.ko-vwuRfFr7g&hl=en make some pictures

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Yes. Very good map which I've used in the past. The places here are no doubt a bit more used to surprise foreigners showing up, but they're all just simple places and the more you know the more you'll get out of the experience. Have some ideas of what you hope to find, know your stone lingo, and know how to speak just a little Japanese to smooth things. Bring something to sharpen with to test stones and know what you're doing when you test, too. Another place is Totoriya, the Maruoyama miner's place, a bit out of Kyoto city. I haven't been, but really think it'd be worth a visit; one of the very few active mines in Japan, let alone Kyoto, and in recent years the owner/miner has made his way through the knife-friendly layer.

Thanks for the comments fellas. I'll use this information well!

A lot of cool Temples and Gardens in Kyoto too.

Please report back! I've got a trip to Japan planned this October. Need to put together a plan to check out some knife related places (not the primary reason for the trip but I'll have a few extra days and would be stoked to buy a knife or stone or three while there). Need to start digging through all the previous threads on this topic.

Hey Johnstoc , where are you going cause I'm going in October too and have done a little research .. Just not kyoto

ynot1985 said:

Hey Johnstoc , where are you going cause I'm going in October too and have done a little research .. Just not kyoto

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All I know is we are going for 2 weeks this fall. I can drop you a line once I get a better idea. Going with my girlfriend, neither of us have been so I need to do some work.

This trip never happens do to illness. Then a trip to China happened and now, tomorrow, we board a flight to osaka.