Kappabashi-dori is a street located near Asakusa. It’s full of shops catering to the restaurant trade, the array of quirky items make it well worth exploring.
The strangest thing you’ll see in Kappabashi is probably the plastic food shops – outside restaurants across Japan, you’ll often see plastic versions of the dishes on display outside, these are called sampuru (サンプル), derived from the English word “sample”. Everything from Katsu to Beer is available in fake form!
There are also stores selling various signs, menu holders, placemarkers, neon signs and even giant mascots including Santa, a dinosaur and a lobster!
Quirky stuff aside, Kappabashi is also a great place to pick up affordable Japanese tableware and tea sets, just be careful transporting them home 🙂
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