Hey everyone, I know there is a ton of threads about this, but to be honest the more I read the more I'm lost. I actually live in Kyoto and I have an Aritsugu santoku which I got hastily since I wanted a nice knife when I move here and had no kitchen tools. However, it seems like Aritsugu is not that good from searching around this forum.

I've checked out Shigeharu which had some pretty rough looking knives with western style full tang handle (sorry not good with terms). Not sure if these were the ones he made or not since I didn't know he stocked other stuff too at the time. Stopped by Yagi which had stuff that didn't feel all that special, OEM looking joints. Went to Yoshisada and they didn't have anything in stock at the moment although their stuff looked awesome in general.

It's was my birthday a couple days ago and I don't often buy things anymore so I want to get something special. Max 350 USD (40,000yen), 18cm, medium/heavy (something that will cut some fish/meat/soft bone), and a nice barrel handle. Localish would be cool but could buy online too if it's super recommended. Could also make a weekend trip to pick something up from a nearby city/town.