The Best Souvenir from Japan Might Be a Pair of Kitchen Shears

When you choose souvenirs in Japan, there is one small problem. Sweets are gone as soon as they are eaten. Keychains sleep quietly in a drawer. A folding fan is beautiful, but it is rarely opened a second time.

So today, I would like to suggest something different: a souvenir you can use every day, for ten years or more. Japanese kitchen tools are respected by cooks all over the world, and there is one item I always recommend when friends visit me in Tokyo. It is a pair of kitchen scissors: the Seki Magoroku kitchen shears by Kai.

A Blade from the Blade Capital

These are not ordinary scissors. They are made in Seki City in Gifu Prefecture, a town that has been making blades for more than 700 years, since the age of the samurai sword. When swords were no longer needed, the craftsmen of Seki turned their skills to kitchen knives, razors, and scissors. Today, Seki is known as one of the great blade capitals of the world, together with Solingen in Germany.

Kai Corporation was founded in Seki in 1908. It is the company behind the well-known Seki Magoroku knife series, which is named after Magoroku Kanemoto, a legendary swordsmith of 16th-century Seki. These kitchen shears carry the same name, and the same care for a fine edge.

Why These Shears Are Special

• Forged, all-stainless construction — each blade is a single piece of steel, with no plastic parts to crack or hold smells
• They come apart — the two blades separate with a simple twist, so you can wash them completely, even around the pivot
• They cut almost everything — chicken (even through small bones), herbs, dried seaweed, pizza, and stubborn packaging
• Made in Japan — you can feel the careful finishing in your hand

I have used mine for years, and they still cut as well as they did on the first day.

Price and Where to Buy

At around ¥3,000–3,500, the price is similar to a nice box of sweets. But this one will stay in your kitchen for many years.

How to Get Amazon Japan Delivery to Your Tokyo Hotel

Amazon Japan can deliver your order directly to the hotel where you are staying. Ordering a few days before your flight home works well — you can simply receive the package at the front desk. When you order, please set the shipping address to your hotel, and add the hotel name and your guest name as it appears on the reservation.

• Please check with your hotel in advance that they accept packages for guests
• On Amazon.co.jp, the English display toggle is at the top right of the screen

If you prefer to shop in person, Kai products are also available at department stores, Tokyu Hands, Loft, and the knife shops of Kappabashi in Tokyo.

One Important Flight Rule

Scissors are treated as blades at the airport. Please pack them in your checked luggage, not in your carry-on bag. Otherwise, they may be taken away at the security check — a sad ending for a fine Seki blade.

Who Is This For?

Anyone who cooks, even a little. Long after the sweets are gone, these shears will still be working quietly in your kitchen. And each time you use them, I hope they remind you of your trip to Japan.

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