Josip Matanović

It was one of the rare trips where we didn't have to be extra watchful for petty tourist rip-offs. Friendly and honest people, no haggling. Public transport punctual to the second. Public toilets available and clean everywhere. Considering that we went with a 4-year-old child, it turned out better than expected. We had intended to buy a Nakiri kitchen knife in Kyoto at Aritsugu Nishiki Market. However, it turned out that many other tourists and locals had the same plan and they had run out of Nakiri by the time we got there. Disappointed, we moved on and happened upon a small shop, Yoshimune Hamono Knives, where we managed to buy it. The shop assistants were ready to field any and all questions about the knife, but I wasn’t able to ask a single one, except whether they offered “Tax Free”.