An electric kettle, or 電気ケトル, can do more for you if it’s shining in the limelight rather than just letting off steam. Discover electric kettles with style and grace, glass ones that show a little more, and temperature controlled kettles that push your buttons. Our line up of the best electric kettle selection in Japan is sure to measure up to high esteem. There are also inexpensive kettles for a cheap date with a cup of cocoa.
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Electric Kettle Shape Up – 電気ケトル シェープアップ
There are varying tastes and styles when it comes to the electric kettle – 電気ケトル. There are those which are run-of-the-mill, popular rising stars, others with more airs than water, and those with economizing functions.
Plastic Electric Kettle – ポリプロピレン 電気ケトル
Plastic tends to be the default kettle choice, but not always the cheapest. They are light weight and usually cool to touch. If any kettle has a water level view window, that pretty much means your water is being boiled in plastic. Usually the plastic is polyprophylene [ ポリプロピレン ]. Although deemed safe, you may want to find out for yourself. This plastic is also used in microwave cookware – SEE MORE.
Stainless Steel Kettle – ステンレス 電気ケトル
Stainless steel kettles come in a range of designs. They tend to be more designer range, retros numbers, or goosenecks with temperature control. They are heavier and the sides may not be be cool to touch unless coated with plastic. Plastic coated ones are like thermos flasks with spouts that seal shut and are the safest if young children or cats are around. Sometimes stainless steel kettles have plastic spouts with a mesh guard – SEE MORE.
Glass Electric Kettle – ガラス 電気
Glass kettles certainly have their merits. You can always see how clean they are and some have a funky blue LED light. The larger ones tend to be quite heavy and, depending on the design quality, the sides get quite hot. You can use these kettles to boil up tea leaves or milk chai, but that depends on how easy it is to reach inside and clean properly. If you like glass, a better proposition is a temperature controlled glass kettle – SEE MORE.
Temperature Controlled Kettle – 温度調節 電気ケトル
Also know as a variable temperature kettle, these kettles are the crème de la boil. Except for the boiling plate, they are metal and odor free. Glass kettles are perfect for specialized drinks like green teas, pour over coffee, and milk chai. They are great time and money savers.
Depending on the design, they also work as breast pots for heating baby preps, or they may include a tea infuser. Some have a set temperature selection, others allow you to set the temperature in 1 degree increments. Not all are glass, you can get plastic ones, but the greater selection are gooseneck stainless steel designs – SEE MORE.
Gooseneck Kettle – ドリップ 電気ケトル
The gooseneck electric kettle gives marching orders to all the rest. With their stylish looks and elegant spouts, they are especially designed for pour over coffee lovers. They require a little more space for pouring, which is all the better for showing them off. For the most part, they should be temperature controlled for your specialized beverages, and they charge a little more for their services.
Silicone Kettle – シリコン 電気ケトル
The Silicone electric kettle is a niche kettle mostly used by people on the go. They are billed as a foldable travel kettle [ 折りたためる 電気ケトル ]. The heating plate is of course metal and there’s an outer plastic base with a plastic handle. They don’t need adaptors because they are designed to universal electric compatibility – SEE MORE.
Electric Kettle Esteemed Reviews
電気ケトル おすすめ7選
- T-fal – Plastic Fantastic
- Delonghi Ikona – Regent of Boil
- Lutana – Elegance in Glass
- Zojirushi Thermos – Keeper of Hearths
- Mosh! – Master of Temperature
- Toffy Ladonna – Best of Retro
- Miyoshi – Silicon Wonders
Plastic Fantastic – T-fal Justin Boiler
For the most basic electric kettle [ 基本的 電気ケトル ] at a value price, it’s understandable why the Justin is a top seller. The design is not too bad, although it’s popularity makes it common. It’s not too heavy, has a water window, the capacity is just over a liter, and the cord is average length. T-fal is also Japan based with local customer service.
- 1250 W
- 50/60 Hz
- 710g kettle only
- W22.1xH20.9cm
- 1.2 liters
- 1.3m cord
- 5 colors
- 1 year warranty
- Made in China
The wattage on this kettle is a little higher than others. In winter, it takes just a little less than 7 min to boil a full jug. This model has improved pouring and less evaporation loss.
For those who are concerned, while the tank is mostly stainless steel, there is considerable contact between hot water and plastic.
Like similar plastic based kettles, there is a plastic smell at first and you have to boil and rinse out a couple or more times before using. That said, this is not a kettle for anything other than water. Unlike older models, the handle is cool to grip, but the body does get a little hot.
Verdict: If you are not concerned with heat contact to polypropylene plastic parts, these Justin T-fals are decent cost performers.
For those sold on the value of T-fal as a popular brand with assurity, there is the pricier Safe2Touch series (price link). The tank is completely stainless so no viewing window and it’s a fair bit heavier, but the plastic coating makes it a safer proposition for children or cramped spaces.
Madame Regent of Boil – Delonghi Ikona Vintage Series
In the realm of 電気ケトル nothing quite strikes an aristocratic presence than these Delonghis. Beautifully colored and shapely in design, they remind one of a buxomly countess. There are a number of colors to choose from as well as a couple of more avantgarde designs.
- 1200 W
- 50-60 Hz
- 0.85 kg
- 1.1 kg with base
- W21xH23.5 cm
- 1 liter
- Cord 1.3 m
- Stainless 18-8
- 1 year warranty
- Made in China
Value features are a water ledger sensor, a removeable lid, a mesh on plastic filter at the spout, and the cord wraps up inside the base. It has the usual boil protection and automatic switch off.
The kettle is quiet, boils fast, pours nicely, but the body and lid knob are hot to touch. The last 100ml or so are difficult to pour. It’s not ideal for children around, and heavy for the elderly.
Verdict: This Delonghi is a winner with couples and live-a-loners or those who value style above overall practicality. There is no keep warm function, and heat preservation is not so great between frequent reuse. There are no plastic parts in contact with the water except some plastic around the mesh filter.
Elegance in Glass – Latuna Blue
With a glass electric kettle [ ガラス 電気ケトル ] there is minimal metal and no plastic contact to hot water. The Latuna is just a simple glass kettles meaning no temperature control [無温度調節].
- 1000 W
- 1 liters
- 0.66 kg
- Blue LED
- Cord 1.3 m
- 18 x 21 x 14 cm
- Bry boil protection
- Auto-off
- 1 yr warranty
- PSE certified
A nice feature on this kettle is the button on the handle which, when pressed, flips the lid open. The lid opens to 90°, and it’s fairly easy to clean inside. It also has a lengthy cord, and since it holds only 1 liter, it’s not too heavy when full (1.6 kg).
There’s also a filter attached to the lid which prevents water from coming out when boiling at full volume. The filter is mesh with polyprophylene frame, so there is some plastic contact with hot water. This is quite a common feature with these and other kettles including the popular Hagoogi.
Verdict: If you want a glass kettle which is not too heavy and bulky, the Latuna is not a bad choice. The flip lid and long cord may be what you are looking for.
See more temperature controlled glass kettles & yakuzen pots
Keeping it Warm – Zojirushi Thermos Coffee Drip Kettle
There are a couple of options for these types of energy saving insulated thermos kettles. Tiger brand is one popular choice. This Zojirushi, however, has an additional pouring mechanism for making pour over drip coffee. It can also keep warm at 90 ℃ for 1 hour. They come in black and white and 800ml / 1kg or larger 1 liter / 1.1kg sizes.
- 1300 W
- 50-60 Hz
- 1kg / 1.1kg
- Spout lock
- Boil melody alert
- Wrap cord 1.3m
- Removeable lid
- PSE certified
- 1 yr warranty
- Made in China
All the controls for this kettle are nicely positioned. The pour rate is adjusted on the top lid, just above the handle is the lock release, and there is a button for boil and one for the 1 hour keep.
When full, the large size is a bit heavy (2kg) for old people. For tea aficionados the temperature does not drop quickly. The lid is a bit tricky to remove at first.
Verdict: The is a great kettle for a busy household where people take water at different times. The pour rate adjustor is good for kitchen preps too. It’s the safest option if young kids are around and also cats and won’t spill even if it falls. Water stays warm, so reboiling is fast and the tank is completely stainless steel.
Master of Temperature – mosh! by Doshisha
Doshisha is a young Japanese brand with designs that push a little funk. Nice features of this temperature controlled kettle [ 温度調節 電気ケトル ] are the very compact wood stand which incorporates three temperature levels of 90°C, 80°C, 70°C, but not up to 100°C. The color range is ivory, cocoa, pink, and cyan. Cyan is often only available on the Doshisha homepage, which actually sells these kettles cheaper than a lot of other places.
- 1000 W
- 50-60 Hz
- 0.8 liters
- 920g incl. base
- Cord 0.75m
- H23xW19 cm
- 1 hr keep warm
- 1 yr warranty
- Made in China
This mosh! design is like a thermos flask. The lid clips on and off and there’s a press button to open the water spout. It’s spill proof and keeps water warm or cool.
The water tank is stainless, but there is contact with plastic from steaming and pouring. There’s a plastic smell that wear off after a while, and the cord is a little short.
Verdict: This kettle is nice for its uplifting youthful design. It also gives you enough temperature range for tea, coffee, or instant noodles. It’s compact base is great, and it’s safe for pets or for children around. You can also get matching appliances.
T-fal also has a temperature controlled kettle (price link) but the tank is mostly plastic, so not ideal, especially for delicate teas. Zwilling (price link) is top of the range and nice quality.
Best of Retro – Miss Toffy Ladonna
There are a number of nice electric kettle retro designs to choose from, but Toffy is well worthy of top mention. For our selection, this is the best small volume kettle and the lightest. Toffy branded retro chic appliances are part of the Wakayama based Bon Furnishing Company (ぼん家具). These nifty kettles come in red, green, beige, and now also black.
- 900 W
- 50-60 Hz
- 800 ml
- 570g
- Wrap cord 0.7m
- W23.6xD13.5xH17.8 cm
- 1 yr warranty
- Made in China
Most people really love these Toffy’s. If the look matches your kitchen and style, they’re great. They boil fast and have comparatively low power consumption.
Being an all metal kettle, they do get pretty hot on the body, so they may not be ideal for all. There are no plastic or resin parts that contact with water. One drawback is the relatively short cord.
Verdict: For singles and couples who just need a kettle as a friend, this may just be your match. They create a real homely vide and are fairly cost effective you only need to boil things up one or twice a day.
Choosing the best retro kettle boils down to personal taste and style. The other two contenders fair just as well. Another choice is the Japanese designer Recolte. It holds 800 ml and pours really nicely. It also comes in a Moomin Hippo edition.
The 800 ml Iris Oyama is, not surprisingly, the cheapest. It has a short spout with a mesh and plastic filter, but a much longer cord than the other retros.
Silicone Wonder – Miyoshi Foldable Electric Kettle
The avantgarde collapsible silicone electric kettle is where plastic meets future fantastic. Silicone ware has for some time been quite popular with cooking utensils and microwave cookware. These Miyoshi’s come in 500 ml and 800 ml sizes both in white and aqua blue. Billed as a ‘travel kettle’, the power inlet is universal.
- AC 100-27 V
- AV 220-240 V
- 50/60 Hz
- Cord 1m
- 500 / 800 ml
- 540g / 608g
- 800ml boil 9-10min
- 200ml boil 3-4 min
- 6mnt / 1 yr warranty
There are a number of similar kettles on the market, but Miyoshi (MCO) is a Japanese company more famous for their electronic parts and components. They have a small range of travel related goods, including these kettles – which more than adequately fulfill their portable function as a travel kettle.
Verdict: People find these 携帯用湯沸かし really convenient for all travel situations. The residual silicon odor is the main issue. Before hitting the road, it’s best to boil the kettle 5 to 6 times (with green tea) to get rid of the odor. Some people even use these in their cars with a Jackery 1000 portable generator (price link).
