I am really into Japanese-style cooking, but I had not found really good and accessible (service-wise) Japanese knives until I tried Miyabi. I would prefer more Japanese-looking box, but the black box was okay. The handle feels extra-fancy. It is smooth but easy to grab. The blade is beautiful. The multiple layers help keep food off (it is really annoying when onions stick to the blade). The super-fine edgecuts through everything so smoothly.