Located near Myogokujimae Station on the Hankai Line, this small but excellent museum showcases the main product of Sakai city: world-class knives and other cutting tools. If you’re a fan of Japanese knives and swords, don’t miss this place.
Sakai City Traditional Crafts Museum - image © Florentyna Leow
Japanese knives are highly coveted by chefs and cooks around the world, and for good reason - they’re some of the best knives you’ll ever use. If you’re looking for a great kitchen knife or just want to learn more about the Japanese art of knife-making, you’ll definitely want to visit the Sakai City Traditional Crafts Museum on your trip to Osaka.
Sakai City Traditional Crafts Museum - image © Florentyna Leow
It might be called the knife museum, but it’s basically an introduction into the intricate world of culinary cutlery. Who knew there were knives made specifically for gutting and filleting fish, slicing rolled sushi, or cutting vegetables? There’s also all manner of other Sakai cutlery on display, such as a spiky implement used to fix and stabilize eels to a chopping board before they’re filleted alive. You’ll also see a number of exhibits outlining the history of knife-making and knife-selling monopolies in the Edo period.
Naturally, there’s a shop conveniently attached to the museum selling a variety of knives. Each blade is hand-crafted with love and care, and it’ll probably be one of the best knives you’ll ever invest in. High quality knives do come at a price: they can range anywhere from $100 to $1000. That being said, there’ll probably be something to suit most budgets in the shop. If you want to look beyond Douguyasuji (Kitchen Tool Street) in central Osaka, this isn’t a bad place to check out.
English name:
Sakai City Traditional Crafts Museum
Japanese name:
堺伝統産業会館
English address:
1-1-30 Zaimoku-cho-nishi, Sakai-ku, Sakai-shi, 590-0941
Japanese address:
〒590-0941 堺市堺区材木町西一丁1-30
Opening hours:
10am-5pm
Admission:
Free
Nearest Transport:
Tram: 3-minute walk from Myokokujimae Station on the Hankai Line.
Nearest Hotels:
:: Check availability and pricing for hotels near Sakai City Traditional Crafts Museum on Booking.com or Agoda.com.
Telephone:
+81-72-227-1001
Website:
Official Website (English)
Near To Here:
Sakai City Traditional Crafts Museum is located in Southern Osaka. See our complete list of things to do in the Southern Osaka district, including places to eat, nightlife and places to stay.
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