Fodor's Expert Review Kappabashi Kitchenware Street

Lined with over 200 shops selling kitchenware and supplies, Kappabashi is shopping heaven for home chefs. The street is worth a visit just to see the vast selection of wares on display—from knives to industrial restaurant supplies to the strikingly realistic plastic food models seen in restaurants.

In the 19th century, according to local legend, a river ran through the present-day Kappabashi district. The surrounding area was poorly drained and was often flooded. A local shopkeeper began a project to improve the drainage, investing all his own money, but met with little success until a troupe of kappa—mischievous green water sprites—emerged from the river to help him. A more prosaic explanation for the name of the district points out that the lower-ranking retainers of the local lord used to earn extra money by making straw raincoats, also called kappa, that they spread to dry on the bridge.