HANDS Japan Shopping Guide: Japanese Knives, DIY Tools, Suitcases & Tax-Free Tips

Quick Facts

Last checked against official information: 2026-11-15.

What it is

Founded in 1976, HANDS offers large lifestyle stores such as Shinjuku in Takashimaya Times Square. Its original Udagawacho store in Shibuya is scheduled to close on November 15, 2026; check the current store directory when choosing a branch.

What makes HANDS legendary is its astonishing depth of inventory. Where ordinary stores sell standard cookware, HANDS stocks hand-forged Sakai and Seki kitchen knives with custom handle options and on-site engraving. Where others sell generic pens, HANDS provides wood-turning craft blanks, Japanese chisels, leather dyes, bookbinding paper, and microscopic architectural model kits. Alongside this maker paradise, HANDS curates Japan's most reliable travel gear, ultra-light stormproof umbrellas, professional massage rollers, and Japanese skincare. It is an essential shopping haven for travelers who value functional beauty, tool longevity, and authentic Japanese craftsmanship.

How to order

Step 1: Navigating Multi-Level Specialty Floors

HANDS flagships (like Shinjuku Takashimaya Times Square or Shibuya) span multiple floors divided into specialized functional universes:

• Kitchen & Dining (キッチン用品): Japanese chef knives (Santoku, Gyuto, Nakiri), whetstones, ginger graters, cypress cutting boards, cast-iron Nambu ironware, and pour-over coffee apparatus (Hario, Kalita).
• DIY, Tools & Materials (DIY・クラフト・工具): Japanese pull-saws (Nokogiri), precision tweezers, leathercraft hides, brass hardware, and modeling supplies.
• Travel & Luggage (トラベル・スーツケース): High-spec silent-wheel suitcases, anti-theft backpacks, TSA travel locks, and compact toiletry kits.
• Stationery & Design (文具・ステーショナリー): Drafting pencils, fountain pens, washi tapes, calligraphy brushes, and custom wax sealing kits.
• Health & Beauty (ヘルス＆ビューティ): Japanese hair brushes, natural bath soaks, skin cleansers, and posture-correction cushions.
• Grab a wheeled cart or handheld basket at the entrance to each floor.

Step 2: Testing Kitchen Knives & Artisan Consultations

• If buying a Japanese kitchen knife, approach the specialized cutlery display. Staff can explain the difference between high-carbon VG-10 steel, Damascus steel, and traditional Shirogami (white paper) steel.
• You can test the weight, balance, and grip of different knives directly in your hand. In select flagships, staff offer name-engraving services for personalized souvenirs.

Step 3: Which Purchased Items Can Be Used During the Trip?

• Keep track of your item types as you shop across floors:
  • Reusable items: Kitchen knives, suitcases, hand tools, stationery, umbrellas, travel organizers.
  • Goods that can be consumed: Skincare creams, facial washes, bath salts, specialty snacks, coffee beans.
• The old legal separation between general goods and consumables was abolished on November 1, 2026. Both types can count toward the general ¥5,000 (before tax) threshold, subject to the participating shop’s registration rules. Food, cosmetics and other goods that would be consumed in Japan must remain unconsumed for the tax-free refund; reusable items may be used while in Japan if the same goods leave Japan with you (see Step 4).

Step 4: Checkout & 2026 Tax-Free Refund Registration

• At a HANDS branch that currently supports tax-free registration, ask staff which cashier or authorized tax-free counter handles your purchase. Do not assume every flagship has a separate tax-free desk.
• Present your items along with your original physical passport (photocopies or digital images are strictly prohibited by Japanese tax law).
• Under Japan's airport refund tax-free mechanism (enacted November 1, 2026):
  1. Pay the full tax-inclusive total at the counter using cash, international credit cards, or mobile QR pay.
  2. The participating retailer verifies your eligibility and registers the tax-free purchase electronically in the National Tax Agency’s system, directly or through an approved provider. Follow the shop’s passport or supported Visit Japan Web procedure.
  3. No special packaging applies: since November 1, 2026, tax-free purchases are no longer sealed into tamper-evident bags. The export rule works per purchase record instead:
     • Consumables (cosmetics, skincare and bath items) must not be consumed in Japan. If a consumable on the record is consumed, or a tax-free item is missing at confirmation, the whole purchase record cannot be confirmed and no refund is paid for it.
     • Reusable items (towels, storage goods, travel items and stationery) may be used during your trip if the same items are taken out of Japan. Items bought outside the tax-free transaction are not part of that record.
  4. Keep the items on your purchase record together for departure (liquids over 100ml still belong in checked baggage under airline cabin rules).
  5. When leaving Japan, complete Customs' export confirmation with your passport at a tax-free procedure terminal, within 90 days of purchase and before checking your baggage. You show the goods only if the terminal flags your record.
  6. After Customs confirms export, the store or its designated refund operator processes your consumption-tax refund by the method registered at purchase. Customs does not pay refunds. For eligible purchases from participating stores, cash collection at designated airport refund terminals may be available; this does not cover every tax-free purchase, so confirm your refund method when you buy.

What to order first

1. Seki & Sakai Japanese Kitchen Knives (Santoku & Gyuto)

• Japanese Name: 関・堺 伝統和包丁 (三徳包丁・牛刀)
• Price: ~¥5,500–¥24,200 (tax-included as of November 8, 2026; subject to revision)
• Why It Is Essential: Japan's bladesmithing capital of Seki (Gifu) and Sakai (Osaka) forge the sharpest kitchen knives in the world. A multi-purpose Santoku ("three virtues" knife for meat, fish, and vegetables) made with VG-10 Damascus steel slices through tomatoes and meats effortlessly without bruising cell walls. HANDS offers extensive selections from premier makers with wooden wa-handles.

2. Silky & Suizan Japanese Woodworking Pull Saws (両刃鋸・胴付鋸)

• Japanese Name: 侍・シルキー・レザーソー 日本伝統手引き鋸
• Price: ~¥2,200–¥5,500 (tax-included as of November 8, 2026; subject to revision)
• Why It Is Essential: Western handsaws cut on the "push" stroke, requiring thick, heavy blades that can buckle. Traditional Japanese saws (Nokogiri) cut on the "pull" stroke, allowing for micro-thin blades, razor-sharp impulse-hardened teeth, and surgical precision with almost zero physical effort. Woodworkers and DIY crafters worldwide flock to HANDS specifically to buy these legendary saws.

3. hands+ Light Suitcases with Silent Hinomoto Wheels

• Japanese Name: hands+ ライトスーツケース (フロントオープン・消音キャスター)
• Price: ~¥19,800–¥36,300 (tax-included as of November 8, 2026; subject to revision)
• Why It Is Essential: HANDS' proprietary luggage line, "hands+," is celebrated by frequent flyers for incorporating patented Japanese Hinomoto Lisof silent-run ball-bearing wheels. These wheels roll virtually soundlessly across cobblestones and train platforms. Featuring front-access laptop compartments and built-in mechanical wheel brakes that stop bags from rolling away on moving Shinkansen trains, they represent the apex of Japanese travel engineering.

4. Feather & Green Bell High-Precision Japanese Nail Clippers

• Japanese Name: 匠の技 高級つめきり (グリーンベル / フェザー)
• Price: ~¥990–¥2,200 (tax-included as of November 8, 2026; subject to revision)
• Why It Is Essential: Once you use a handcrafted Japanese nail clipper from Green Bell's "Takumi no Waza" series, you will never touch a generic drugstore clipper again. Forged from high-grade stainless cutlery steel and individually hand-sharpened by master craftsmen in Seki, they slice through thick nails with a satisfying, butter-soft click that requires zero post-clipping filing.

5. Hario V60 & Kalita Wave Pour-Over Coffee Gear

• Japanese Name: ハリオ V60 透過ドリッパー / カリタ ウェーブドリッパー
• Price: ~¥1,100–¥6,600 (tax-included as of November 8, 2026; subject to revision)
• Why It Is Essential: Japan is the world capital of specialty pour-over drip coffee. HANDS stocks the complete spectrum of Hario V60 ceramic drippers, Kalita copper kettles, heat-resistant glass servers, and precision manual burr grinders. The knowledgeable staff can guide you toward the exact spiral-ribbed drippers used in Tokyo's third-wave kissaten cafes.

Payment & practical info

• Accepted Payment Modes: Cash (JPY), major global credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, UnionPay), transit IC cards (Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA), and mobile QR codes (PayPay, d-Barai, Rakuten Pay, au PAY, Alipay, WeChat Pay).
• Tax-Free Refund Rules (Enacted November 1, 2026):
  • Minimum eligible spend: Under Japan’s tax-free refund rules, eligible purchases totaling ¥5,000 or more before tax at the same participating tax-free store on the same day meet the general threshold. Where a designated joint tax-free procedure counter is used, eligible same-day purchases by the same purchaser from multiple participating stores may be combined there. Confirm the branch’s participation and how its purchases are registered before paying.
  • Pay the full tax-inclusive price at checkout and have the purchase registered with your passport. After Customs confirms export (procedure terminal, within 90 days, before baggage check-in), the store or its designated refund operator refunds the consumption tax by the method registered at purchase — Customs does not pay refunds, and cash collection at designated airport refund terminals is available only for eligible purchases from participating stores.
  • No special sealed packaging applies. Customs confirmation is per tax-free purchase record: every tax-free item on that record must leave Japan with you. Food, cosmetics and other consumables must not be consumed in Japan; reusable goods may be used during your trip if you export the same items.
• Operating Hours: Flagships (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinsaibashi, Hakata) typically operate from 10:00 to 21:00 daily.
• Workshop Spaces: Many flagship stores feature "HANDS DO" workshop corners offering hands-on leathercrafting, wood-burning, and jewelry-making sessions.
• CRITICAL AIRPORT ADVICE FOR KNIVES: Japanese kitchen knives must be securely packaged and transported strictly inside checked luggage. Never pack a knife in your carry-on bag.

Good to know / Common mistakes

1. Transporting Knives in Japan Before Your Flight

Under Japanese weapons and sword control laws, carrying an uncovered knife in public without a legitimate reason is strictly illegal. When you purchase a kitchen knife at HANDS, the staff will carefully box and seal it with security tape. Keep the knife in its original box, inside your shopping bag, and store it in your hotel room until packing it into your checked suitcase for departure.

2. Check the Shibuya Store Closure Before Visiting

The original HANDS Shibuya store at 12-18 Udagawacho is scheduled to close on November 15, 2026; its final-day closing time is 19:00. Do not plan a visit there after that date. Check the official store directory for another HANDS location, including the separate Shibuya Scramble Square store.

3. Suitcase Replacement Service

If your luggage broke during international transit or you bought too many souvenirs to fit into your bags, visit HANDS' luggage department. You can purchase a hands+ suitcase, immediately transfer your souvenirs into it, and even request staff to assist with recycling your old broken suitcase (fee may apply depending on local store disposal policies).

Sources

• HANDS Official Corporate Portal (Verified: 2026-11-08)
• HANDS Nationwide Store Locator & Floor Maps (Verified: 2026-11-08)
• HANDS Tax-Free & Foreign Tourist Services Guide (Verified: 2026-11-08)
• Japan Customs Departure Tax-Free Procedures (Verified: 2026-11-08)