Three things every Japanese kitchen can’t be without
The first time I cooked rice in a Kamado-san, I called my mother. She lives in Osaka and was in the middle of the news. I described the okoge — the crispy bottom layer — and she said, in a tone she only uses for things she takes seriously, “Yes. That’s the rice.” It was the same rice she’d been making for me since I was four.
This guide is a working list. Not the most expensive things, not the most photogenic. The objects that, between us at Minimaru, we’d consider the foundation of a Japanese kitchen — the ones we keep buying for ourselves, our families, and the friends who ask us where to begin.
Skip the pricey gadgets. Buy these slowly. Use them every day. — Yuki
The Rice Cooker
If we had to keep one Japanese kitchen object, this is it. The right one will outlast every other piece of cookware you own and will, quietly, transform every dinner you make.
Why we’re recommending these — We’ve stocked donabe, stovetop and electric IH cookers for over a decade. These three are what we’d put in our own kitchens.
Nagatanien Kamado-san 1.5L Size 3
Iga clay double lid. Thirteen minutes to perfectly separated grains and crispy okoge — the way it’s done at the best Tokyo rice bars.
Nagatanien Kamado-san 2.5L Size 5
Same recipe, larger pot. Feeds four with leftovers — the donabe that earns the name “rice cooker chefs use at home”.
Ginpo Kikka Donabe Clay Pot Size 6 850ml - Navy
A lifetime claypot for the price of a takeaway weekend. Banko ware from Mie — beautiful enough to bring to the table.
A Santoku You’ll Pass On
Three virtues — slicing, dicing, mincing. The Santoku is the one knife that does ninety percent of home cooking, and a good one teaches you that sharpness is a kindness.
Why we’re recommending these — Forged in Seki, where they’ve been making blades since the 14th century. None of these will rust, all of them will outlast you.
Kai Seki Magoroku Imayo Santoku Knife 16.5cm
Hammered tsuchime finish releases food cleanly off the blade. Sharp enough that vegetables fall away from the edge.
Kai SEKI MAGOROKU Shoso Santoku Knife 165mm
A seamless all-stainless knife — no handle gap, no harboured bacteria. Dishwasher-safe if you must, though we’d hand-wash.
Kai SEKI MAGOROKU Wakatake Small Santoku 145mm
A small santoku for quick prep. High-carbon stainless, light in the hand, the right first knife for someone learning.
The Donabe Claypot
One pot. Stews, hot pots, simmered fish, even rice — the donabe is the original slow cooker, ceremonial enough to bring to the table and rustic enough to live on the stove.
Why we’re recommending these — These are the donabe Japanese families have been buying for fifty years. Made in Yokkaichi from Banko clay.
Ginpo Hana Mishima Claypot 2.2L Size 8
Ginpo’s flagship since 1972. Floral motif, deep belly, perfect for two-person nabe. The donabe everyone eventually inherits.
Ginpo Kikka Donabe Japanese Clay Pot 28cm 2.7L - Navy Size 9
Chrysanthemum carving in deep navy glaze. The kind of pot that earns a permanent spot on the open shelf.
Ginpo Hana Mishima Claypot 0.9L Size 6
Single-serve donabe — for solo dinners, congee in the morning, oyakodon for one. Small enough to live on a Tokyo countertop.
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