Japan 2012 - Kappabashi in Asakusa Tokyo

Another reason for my visit to Asakusa is Kappabashi - considered by some to be the World's largest cookware market. Kappabashi is a short walk from Sensoji Temple which is at the centre of the Asakusa District. It is a shopping street devoted entirely to restaurant supply and cookware, but you will not find any fresh food here. There are more then 150 shops in the area, and it gives you an interesting insight into the Japanese restaurant industry as well as what locals used in their kitchens. 

Some of the shops sell the famous plastic foods that are used  by typical Japanese restaurants all over the World to decorate their shopfronts. They are so real that sometimes you cannot tell the difference between whats real and whats plastic.

If you are a kitchen knife addict, this is your paradise ! You can find reasonably priced blades here, as well as the top-end stuff costing thousands of dollars - including some forged by Samurai sword masters.