Hayakawa Knife Shop

First off, just a correction to the previous review. This is strictly a knife sharpening shop, they do not forge their own knives. If I remember correctly, most of their knives are forged in the Sakai region… not an uncommon thing. That being said, they still sell quality products at very reasonable prices. You aren’t getting the tourist price markup here. As the other reviewer said, the staff here are great and speak some English. The fellow even taught me how to sharpen my knife on his super awesome whetstone! In case you’re lost, the place is located on a tiny little street due south of H&M on the main tourist road. I bought a sashimi knife and a pocket knife. They have a pretty good selection of knives and scissors. They sell mostly if not only steel-​clad carbon steel knives. I couldn’t tell you more about the materials though since I don’t speak or read a word of Japanese. I’m guessing it’s Shirogami or Aogami 2 mostly considering the price point. Checkout their website, it’s pretty up to date with products and stock. There are artificial whetstones under the shelves. Be sure to take a look. I got a small combination stone for less than $ 20 USD which is a real steal I think.

Great experience! My husband and I visited this store searching for authentic Kyoto cooking knives. We read about the store in a blog and are so glad we went «off the beaten path» to find it. Upon arrival we were greeted by one of the knives makers who took time to explain which knife was used for what and showed us several. When we bought four knives (as gifts for friends) he was very surprised and appreciative. I got the feeling that many tourists don’t know of his location so the go the knife store in the bigger markets instead. The staff is helpful and speaks enough English to make the buying experience comfortable.