Quality cookware in Tokyo?

[iindigo]

Hey guys,

After fleeing Japan during the Fukushima incident after a two-year stay (family demanded it), I returned three or four weeks ago. Have been living with a good friend of mine and life has been pretty good so far.

Something that has really been bugging me though, both now and before, is the non-stick Teflon cookware that's so abundant here. It's frustrating to cook with after coming from a family who cooked exclusively with stainless steel and cast iron cookware (both of which are far more durable - they last a lifetime and won't deposit teflon flakes in your food if you treat them a little too roughly).

So I'm looking to invest in some stainless steel and/or cast iron pots and pans. Are these sold anywhere in Tokyo? Obviously I could get them shipped from a US online store like Amazon, but I imagine that shipping on something so heavy would be prohibitively expensive.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

??Maybe??

How about the L.L. Bean store in Japan? They have a big stock of cooking things here in Maine; I would think they would have similer in Japan?

Uncle Frank

:?

 

[undrentide]

Have you taken a look at department stores?
They are handling the top quality ones, though they tend to be pricey.
For example:
Mitsukoshi (Ginza) : 8F
Isetan (Shinjuku) : 5F
Seibu (Ikebukuro): 7F

or those special stores
Tokyu Hands (Shibuya): 3C (*They have three different levels for each floor)
Loft (Shibuya): 3F

And recently opened mall Hikarie in Shibuya has THE CONRAN SHOP KITCHEN, their "first single-concept-shop", according to them. It's on the 5th floor.

If you go to supermarkets, they are mostly selling cheap Teflon stuff. The stores I've listed are handling good cast iron pans (such as Le Creuset and Staub - both are quite popular here), as well as stainless steel pans and so on.
As an alternative for non-stick pans,you might want to look for Silver-stone wares too.

 

[iindigo]

Thanks a ton, I'll check those out next chance I get and report back!

 

[undrentide]

I look forward to your report, enjoy shopping/window-shopping!

If you're familiar with Japanese online shopping sites such as rakuten, you can check out the item you like after checking them at stores - sometimes they're available less expensive at rakuten.