On we trot to the next of my key sightseeing spots – Kappabashi Street AKA Kitchenware town!
Easily identified by the humongous chef looming above the entrance to the south entrance, Kappabashi Street is where the restaurant trade does its shopping.
The street is lined with stores selling all the hardware needed by restaurants and other food outlets.
You will find shops full of beautiful dishes and chopsticks through to more utilitarian objects such as pots, pans and cooking utensils.
However I am making a bee line for a few specialist stores that sell the plastic and wax food samples used by restaurants in their windows.
Look at how ridiculously overjoyed I am! I had been waiting a LONG time to get up close with these plasticiky goodies.
From pizza to icecream, vegetables to cocktails, there are shiny, fake replicas of a plethora of food stuffs.
The attention to detail that goes into each of these mini masterpieces is unreal. Whether it’s levitating spaghetti wound artfully around a floating fork or tiny, striped chunks of sushi.
Below are some bubbly green cocktails complete with cocktail cherries and a cornucopia of vegetables so realistic you want to take a bite!
Mouth wateringly creamy looking desserts come complete with spoons and man’s best friend makes an unusual appearance.
There’s a ready packaged sushi box , slices of pizza and egg topped noodles.
It’s all starting to make me rather hunrgy!
Kappabashi-dori – the main street’s name is thought to perhaps come from the kappa (raincoats) of nearby residents which were hung out to dry on the bridge.
There are over 170 stores along the 800 metre street and side streets.
If you enjoy a good rootle around kitchenware shops and have a thing for plastic food then its definitely the place to be!
Onwards now to the neon high rises that are so instantly recognisable as Tokyo!