X

Photos: An eyeful for foodies in Tokyo's food district

When food freaks visit Tokyo, they steer toward Kappabashi-dori, a mile-long street sporting dozens of stores that specialize in kitchenware.

Michael Kanellos
Michael Kanellos is editor at large at CNET News.com, where he covers hardware, research and development, start-ups and the tech industry overseas.
Michael Kanellos
kappa-038-440x330.jpg
1 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
Behold, the great wall of pastry tips. Choose your caliber.

Although many people in Japan cook at home, eating out and entertaining in restaurants is practically a national sport.
kappa-033-440x330.jpg
2 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
This store had a few hundred options for to-go containers.
kappa-040-440x330.jpg
3 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
Whisk away your problems. This store dealt strictly in utensils for cooking--no ceramics or other items.
kappa-041-440x330.jpg
4 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
Welcome to one of the many plastic food emporiums.
kappa-049-440x330.jpg
5 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
This is the restaurant uniform store. The shop next door sold "No Smoking" and "Please Wait to be Seated" signs.
kappa-063-440x330.jpg
6 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
Welcome to bowl-o-rama. This shop specialized in ceramics pots and bowls of many sizes.
kappa-060-440x330.jpg
7 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
These two characters are the mascots of the street. Note the banners to the right. If you somehow manage to forget what street you're on or can't figure out the lyrics of the song, the banners will tell you.
kappa-067-440x330.jpg
8 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
The same store sold teapots.
kappa-072-440x330.jpg
9 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
This was the biggest wooden spoon I've ever seen. It stood four feet high.
kappa-075-440x330.jpg
10 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
At this knife store, a good cleaver runs about $80.
kappa-079-440x330.jpg
11 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
When computer geeks come to Japan, they head toward the electronics neighborhood called Akihabara. But when food freaks visit Tokyo, they steer toward Kappabashi-dori, a mile-plus-long street sporting several dozen stores that carry all manner of kitchenware and food. There, you can find it all: stores that specialize in ceramics; plastic food vendors; utensil vendors.

The street even has its own theme song, which plays over speakers on a constant loop. It lasts about a minute, and the words are "Kappa, Kappabashi-dori, Kappabashi-dori, Kappabashi-do-o-ri, Kap-pa-bash-i."

"Who comes to my kingdom?" This giant chef's head, atop a building several stories tall, marks the beginning of the street.
kappa-077-440x330.jpg
12 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
The entrance to the street is also marked by this giant stack of coffee cups, which sits across the street from the chef's head.
kappa-166-440x330.jpg
13 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
Residents of Tokyo do go nutty for a bit of flair in their food. I had one sushi chef put a squeeze of mayo on a piece of sushi and caramelize it with a blowtorch. Here are some other pieces with dyed rice. That purple one is eggplant, by the way.
kappa-170-440x330.jpg
14 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
Night time dining in an alley in Shinjuku. Most of these places are gone, but they still pack in residents seeking a bit of nostalgia.
kappabashi-nl-019_440x300.jpg
15 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
Fruit takes a lot of land to grow and is usually imported, so it's outrageously priced. Here are tangerines going for about $3 each, pomegranates for $12 each and Asian pears for $21 each. Granted, this shot was taken at a posh department store, but you even see $20 cantaloupes at the corner market.
ceatec-030-440x330.jpg
16 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
Early morning at the Tskiji fish market. It's the world's biggest fish market and takes place every weekday before 5. Here, middlemen are bargaining over tuna. There is a huge vegetable market, an outdoor kitchenware market and a lot of sushi bars and noodle stands open early there too.
ceatec-027-440x330.jpg
17 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
Fresh squid at Tskiji. You can also get octopus, live unagi and live flounder.
kappa-043-440x330.jpg
18 of 18 Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks
You can leave this fish (also made of plastic) in the sunlight for a week and it won't go bad.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos