Do the “handy gadgets” that get attention on TV and social media actually help in the kitchen? Kappabashi has shops where dozens of versions of the same tool sit side by side for you to pick up and compare. Using footage shot on the street, we look at how well time-saving tools work, and in what conditions.

Popular gadgets have a clear job

The gadgets shown on TV are mostly built to do one thing well. Take the “invincible scissors”, with serrations on both blades: the programme showed them cutting a hard pumpkin that ordinary kitchen scissors could not get into, as well as slippery cherry tomatoes and chicken skin (ANNnewsCH video ▶4:01–4:44). The same programme featured a tool that turns food into sticks when you simply push it through, and a peeler with no handle (same video ▶3:02, ▶5:52).

Put the other way, if the job does not match, you will not feel the benefit. The way to test it at Kappabashi is simple: decide which kitchen task you find tedious before you go into the shop. In one scene, a shopper who finds grating daikon radish tiring is recommended a grater whose teeth rise at a 10-degree angle; the explanation given is that force goes into the cut face more easily, so it is less tiring (same video ▶1:41–2:09). The more specific the problem, the more specifically the tool helps.

Dozens of tools for the same job, side by side

Kappabashi’s strength is that you see not just the one item from TV but the options around it. Iidaya bills itself as a “super” specialist cooking-tool shop, with everything from the standards to very specific tools. In the video, there are said to be more than 200 kinds of grater alone and about 70 kinds of kitchen scissors in a section that runs from top to bottom of the shelves, and a figure of 8,500 kinds of cooking tool in total comes up (Tokyo Shops Rendezvous video ▶1:15, ▶3:50).

The extreme range is not a numbers game. The shop makes ladles in 1cc steps, the video explains, because a ramen shop said its broth tastes the way it should only with a 14cc ladle (same video ▶1:45–2:54). It also says the shelf of tools for left-handers stays stocked even though it accounts for less than 1 per cent of sales (same video ▶20:35–21:37). In other words, this is a place to look not for the gadget everyone is talking about but for the one that suits your hands and your kitchen.

Whether it saves time depends on your kitchen’s measurements

The commonest reason a gadget disappoints is the wrong size. In one video, a shopper reconsiders to match the tamagoyaki pan (the rectangular pan for Japanese rolled omelette) they have at home, says “this won’t fit”, and switches to another item (KinseiTV video ▶4:08–4:21). Another shopper says they chose something easy to handle because their kitchen at home is small (Tokyo Shops Rendezvous video ▶0:15).

Before you go, note down the diameter of your frying pan, the width of your chopping board, the depth of your pots and the height of your storage space, and decisions get quicker. Iidaya’s official site says staff are not strong in languages other than Japanese, and that they will use translation apps and serve you with everything they have. If language worries you, bring a photo of the tool you want and be ready to point at the real thing.

Do not try to cover the whole street in a day

Gadget hunting takes more time than you expect. In one video the presenters have spent 40 minutes in Iidaya and say they “still haven’t seen it all” and “need a whole day”; elsewhere they say “you need five hours for this shop alone” (KinseiTV video ▶8:37–8:52, ▶9:56). When it is busy, comparing things properly at the shelves is difficult, so narrowing your search to two or three uses usually brings more home in the end.

The same street has specialists in other fields too. For coffee, the video shows drip equipment on display at Union Coffee Supplies (same video ▶5:45–5:57). Union Food nearby is a coffee bean shop. Once you have bought a time-saving tool, widen the search to cups and brewing gear, and you can deal with several kitchen chores in one trip.

Shops in this video

• Komatsuya Ceramics, glass & tableware Open today10:00–17:00 Details
• Iidaya Cookware & kitchen tools Open today11:00–18:00 Details

Also mentioned: Union Coffee Supplies, Union Food

Videos referenced

Source: ANNnewsCH (2024-12-14)

Source: KinseiTV (2026-01-25)

Source: Tokyo Shops Rendezvous (2025-02-09)

Source: ANNnewsCH (2024-10-12)

This article summarizes what the videos say. Shop details come from our own listings. If you own a video and want it removed, please contact us.