Over the course of my career I found that I prefer Japanese knives, they are generally lighter and far sharper than Western or European knives. It takes quite a bit of care and upkeep to maintain these edges at their razor-sharp peak. For some of us this may be entertaining past time.
Some chefs might find Japanese knives to be too late not sturdy enough to do heavier chopping tasks. I find that I do very little chopping and when I do use a heavy meat Cleaver.
