Nihonbashi Kiya Main Store

Thanks to Unilocal,I found this store, and was not disappointed! At least one of the salesmen spoke good enough English to answer my questions and guide me through several varieties of knives before finding the right one for me. They gift-​wrapped it beautifully, and included lots of materials on proper maintenance since the knife will rust. They sell stainless steel as well, and are very upfront about the differences between knives, which will rust and which won’t, etc. They even make sure you’re getting the correct knife depending on whether you’re a lefty or righty. The only bummer was they had my knife all ready to go, so I didn’t get to watch them sharpen it, as other people have described :(
This was definitely the most expensive thing I bought in Japan — about ¥18,000, which was on the low end for them — but it was totally worth it and will make a great gift. If only I’d had the money for the ¥68,000 cleaver! That thing was beautiful!

When you first see the entrance to this gorgeous store, you know you’re in for something special. They sell Kiya brand knives, which are known to be fantastic quality, offer both stainless steel and carbon steel selections. Salespeople can speak decent English. When you buy a knife, they sharpen it in front of you within a few minutes, and package it in a beautiful box, etc.
Unfortunately, they had a pretty limited selection of knives with Japanese «Wa» handles. It was pretty much only Nakiris (vegetable knives) and general chef knives. All their gyuutos, petty knives, santokus, etc had the western-​style riveted handles. About half of their knives were single-​sided blades (which means it’s only used for cutting fish /​sashimi) and were not for household use.
Still, my cousins ended up buying three chef’s knives (stainless steel blade with carbon steel edge) for a fantastic price– ~11,200 yen, which is currently about US$ 93. I’m pretty sure similar knives will run you at least $ 150 – 200 if you buy them online in the US.
The other knife stores I went to were Isetan in Shinjuku, and Kanesou in Asakusa, which was a much dinkier little store but some of their knives were cheaper, and they had more knives with Wa handles. I ended up buying my partner a gyuuto there instead.

If you’re looking to pick up an excellent Japanese knife, the Nihonbashi Kiya store is where to do it. It was established in 1792, and you can tell that some of the guys standing there sharpening newly-​purchased knives have been there almost that long.
The knives are kept inside glass cases, and you can handle them in order to figure out exactly which one you’re interested in. Don’t come here if you’re looking for a cheap Japanese knife, you’re not going to find one. I think the average price for knives in this store was somewhere around $ 200. Once you decide on the knife you’re looking for, they take it over to the knife-​sharpening men and they sharpen it based on whether you’re left– or right-​handed. Word to the wise, while they speak some English, it’s not going to be the easiest knife purchase of you’re life if you don’t speak Japanese.
They do have other stuff as well, the hubs got a fingernail clipper that works excellently for $ 10. They also have various accoutrements for the knives you purchase – cleaners, brushes, etc. They have various nail tools (if you have a nail technician in your family or friends, this would make for an excellent place to buy Christmas presents).
Even if you’re not looking for a knife, it’s a cool place to check out.

An awesome knife/​cutlery store with tons of history. I spent one day in Tokyo and the one souvenir I wanted to bring home was a Japanese knife. A few internet searches brought me to this store and I was able to find what I wanted (see picture). There was one employee working here that spoke fairly decent English so buying it wasn’t too big of a hassle. They sharpen the knife for you before you leave the store and then of course package it immaculately as they do everything in Japan. They also gave me some printouts on proper care and sharpening of a Japanese blade, which is a bit different than what you may be used to… the steel will rust, its only sharpened on one side, etc.
I definitely recommend this place if you are looking to buy a knife in Tokyo.

This is my FAVORITE stop in Nihonbashi. I love to browse the high end cutlery at this store that has a rich history in the Japanese craftsmanship of forging swords, knives and chisels («hamono»). They also carry hand made kitchen supplies, all of which are extremely high quality.
I love, love the small and large nail clippers and have given away dozens as presents. They cut cleaner than any other nail clippers that I have ever used and have a nifty encasement that catches your clippings.