Tokyo · Nihonbashi and Ningyocho
Ubukeya
Ubukeya was founded in 1783 in Osaka, opened a branch in Edo in the 19th century, and in the Meiji period moved to where it stands today in Ningyocho. The Osaka branch no longer exists. The name comes from downy hair, ubuge in Japanese: people said the founder's blades shaved, cut and plucked even that. The wooden building was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1923, and 48 of the shop's old tools have been registered since 1998 as a cultural property of Chuo Ward.
The shop holds more than 400 kinds of blades, including kitchen knives, scissors for tailors and ikebana, and razors. A tweezer with a 2 mm tip costs ¥4,400, and 3 mm, the popular one, ¥4,950. Nose hair scissors ¥5,280, fish bone tweezers ¥5,720, tailor's scissors from ¥27,500, and a 195 mm chef's knife ¥31,900. Prices from July to November 2026, from the online shop and an article about the shop.
The shop orders blades from craftspeople, and does the final sharpening itself. It also sharpens and repairs, for example straightening a bent blade. The sharpening price depends on the type of knife, its condition and its size, and is given when you bring it in. What arrives by Thursday comes back the following Wednesday, and what arrives on Friday or Saturday comes back a week later. So the service suits those staying in Japan at least a week.
Good to know
- Knives go only in the suitcase checked into the hold. According to Japan's aviation authority, the airline can also be stricter, so it is better to pack scissors and tweezers there too.
- From the exit, walk to the Ningyocho intersection and turn into the one-way street toward Kodenmacho. The shop is the fourth building on the right.
- Wipe the tweezers after use with oil-absorbing paper, because oil and makeup make the tips slippery. A steel knife does not go in the dishwasher: wash, dry and store it in a dry place, especially from the rainy season to early autumn.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Ubukeya.
- HereUbukeya
- ~2 min
Amazake Yokocho Street
A small shopping street of traditional snacks, restaurants and shops, named after amazake, a sweet rice drink once sold at its entrance.
- ~3 min
Ningyocho Imahan Honten Food
A sukiyaki restaurant of a house founded in 1895. A new wing opened on 1 September 2026, and the opening of the whole building is planned for 16 November 2026. Sukiyaki from ¥9,900 on the dinner menu, plus 12% service. Not kosher.
- ~4 min
Ningyocho Shinodazushi Sohonten Food
An Osaka-style sushi shop from 1877. The famous dish is inari, rice in a fried tofu pocket, which takes three days to make, and people mostly buy it to take away. Not kosher.
- ~4 min
Morinoen Cafe
A shop of hojicha, roasted green tea, which it roasts itself, with hojicha ice cream. You take it in hand and sit on the bench outside. Not kosher.
- ~4 min
Iwai Tsuzura Shopping
A shop of lacquered wicker chests from the early Meiji period, which according to a TV Tokyo program from March 2026 is the last of its kind in Tokyo.
- ~6 min
Shigemori Eishindo Food
A bakery of ningyo-yaki, small cakes shaped like figures, and also castella. In winter the stock runs out earlier, and the jam sandwich is sold only once or twice a week, according to the shop in November 2026. Not kosher.