Knife Making in Tokyo: 4 Japanese Knife Workshops Compared (2026)

Quick answer: Base sessions at Japanese knife workshops in Tokyo cost $96 to $166 per person and last one to two hours; Fujijapan's optional knife-included package costs $178. The best for taking home a personalised knife is BAC Japan's make-your-own knife session in Asakusa; for learning to sharpen properly, the Fujijapan sharpening class; and for using a Japanese knife the way a chef does, Kappodo's knife and sashimi workshop with lunch.

The phrase "knife making" covers less than most people expect, and that is the single most useful thing to know before booking. Every workshop below starts from a finished blade. What you do is sharpen it by hand on whetstones, fit or engrave the handle, and learn how to keep it sharp at home. That is genuinely the skill Japanese knife culture is built on, but if you want to forge steel, these are not the workshops for it.

Most sit in Asakusa, close to Sensō-ji and the knife shops of Kappabashi. Our Asakusa walking tour guide covers the neighbourhood, and our ring making workshop guide compares the other hands-on souvenir class in the same streets. For the wider category, our Tokyo craft workshop comparison covers kintsugi, calligraphy and pottery.

Four workshops, ordered by how confidently we would book them. They do different things, so start with what you want to leave with: a personalised knife, the ability to sharpen one, or a chef's lesson in using one. We'd decide that before comparing prices, because the cheapest class here is the one without a knife to keep, and the dearest is the one with the most personalisation.

Not in the sense of forging it. This is the expectation gap behind most of the critical reviews of Tokyo knife workshops, so it is worth being precise about what each one involves.

Our take (sharpening is the point): The unhappy reviews come from guests who expected a forge and found a whetstone. The happy ones, by far the majority, went in knowing they would sharpen and personalise a knife and came out able to keep it sharp for years. In Japanese knife culture that is the skill that matters most once a knife leaves the smith. If forging is what you want, look at blacksmith workshops in Kyoto or the knife towns of Seki and Sakai rather than Tokyo.

Base sessions at the four workshops cost $96 to $166 per person before extras, and Fujijapan's optional knife-included package costs $178. What the price buys differs more than the price itself: a knife to keep, a sharpening lesson, or a chef's class with lunch.

• Book for sharpening, not forging. Every workshop here starts from a finished blade. If you go in expecting that, you will enjoy it.
• Ask what knife the base price includes. Usually a santoku or a small knife. Larger blades and other shapes are extra, and that is where the bill grows.
• Pack it in checked luggage. Knives cannot go in your carry-on. Leave it in its box, wrap it in clothes, and put it in a checked bag.
• Dry it straight after washing. One guest's knife rusted after a single wash at home. Carbon steel needs drying and an occasional oil; ask the instructor how to care for yours.
• Do the class before you shop. If you plan to buy a good knife in Kappabashi, a sharpening class first tells you which steel and shape suit you.
• Visiting in winter? Our Tokyo in January guide covers New Year and the January sumo tournament, and our Tokyo in February guide covers the plum blossom and low winter hotel rates.
• Book early for BAC Japan. It runs only two sessions a day, at 11:00am and 4:30pm.

Staying in Tokyo or planning a trip? Here are three well-reviewed hotels, with live prices from our booking system. Rooms at the best-rated hotels are usually the first to go, especially in peak season and over holidays, so it's worth locking in your stay before availability fills up.