菊一文字刃物店

I stumbled upon this easily to miss, little knife store when I was walking about in the back alleys in the city of Nara. I walked inside and was amazed at how authentic everything seemed. I remember thinking, or at least hoping that this kind of store had been past on for generations and has got plenty of history.
Now, ten years later I found out that this is actually a really famous store, with branches in Kyoto as well.
Inside, you will either be greeted by the 180 year old owner or his wife. Though it has not seemed to age since I was here ten years ago.
I happen to speak Japanese so I always get a thorough explanation about the different knives, but they don’t really speak a lot of English. It is possible for them to explain the most important things though.
The knives are beautiful and of really good quality. Considering what you get, I’d say you get way more the your moneys worth. Everyone in my whole family have been using his knives for ten years now, and they ares still amazing.
I highly recommend this store for anyone looking for Japanese steel, or a perfect gift for the one’s back home.