Free: All time
Kappabashi-dori, a.k.a. Kitchen Town, is a street in Tokyo which is almost entirely populated with shops selling everything that has to do with kitchen. The name is derived from the Japanese folklore creature, Kappa, that used to be prevalent in the neighbourhood back in the days. Learn more about Kappa at the Sogenji Kappa-dera Temple. In Kappabashi-dori, the shops and the neighbourhood have officially adopted the kappa as their mascot. When walking down the street, find Images and statues of kappa that appear frequently in the area. As an offbeat tourist attraction, Kappabashi-dori is famous for its fake plastic food replicas called Sampuru. These models are usually custom-tailored and handmade to restaurants to match their food. So much attention to details are paid in each sampurus that the craftsmanship has been raised to an art form.
Address: Kappabashi-dori, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9am – 5pm
Direction: Subway Ginza Line to Tawaramachi Station
Website: www.kappabashi.or.jp/en
Photo credit: brownpau (Flickr CC), chris pegler (Flickr CC), Charles16e (Flickr CC), secretagentmoof (Flickr CC), naotakem (Flickr CC)
