Written by TC Team
Officially the “Kappabashi Dōgu Matsuri” (Kappabashi Tool Festival), this festival is a showcase of Tokyo’s premier neighborhood for both amateur and professional kitchen supplies — from knives, to porcelain to realistic plastic food models.
What happens?
The festival runs for a week with the “Kappa Market” offering bargains and special deals on cookware.
But the real action happens on the final day, a national holiday, when Kappabashi’s main street is closed to traffic and given over to parades, performances, and family-friendly fun.
On the final day, expect brass bands, taiko drums, cheerleading routines, and even a taiko–kung fu collaboration along the streets.
On this day, the road will be closed to cars and pedestrians can wander freely.
Highlights 2025
The Kappa Senryu Contest rewards witty short poems about Kappabashi or its kappa mascots, while the Character Bento and Sweets Contest challenges avid Instagrammers to turn rice, seaweed, and sugar into edible art.
Submissions will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on October 9 for both. Top submissions will receive luxury cooking utensils as a prize — so it’s worth entering if you’re even slightly keen.
Schedule 2025
The festival takes place from October 6 to 13.
The brass band parade by elementary schools starts at 11 a.m. from Kikuyabashi Intersection.
At 10:30 a.m. the Tokyo Tai Chi Association pairs kung fu with taiko in front of the Taito Ward Lifelong Learning Center, with a second show at 2:30 p.m. by Keisei Corporation.
The Matsuba Cheerleading Club performs at 2 p.m. in front of the Lifelong Learning Center, while the Tokyo Metropolitan Hakuo High School and Junior High School Wadaiko Club takes the stage at 1 p.m. by Keisei Sun Corp. and again at 3:30 p.m. at the Lifelong Learning Center.
- 0.5 km from Tawaramachi Station Ginza Line (G18)
- 0.7 km from Inarichō Station Ginza Line (G17)
- 0.8 km from Iriya Station Hibiya Line (H19)
