Cold and rainy day.

For the first time ever, I don’t want to leave the flat. But I do. I cross the Kamogawa River and head over to Nishiki Market. It’s about an 10 minute walk from the flat.

The market is a huge space crammed with stalls selling mostly food and bibblebobs tourists buy to remind them of Kyoto.

The place is amazingly clean and doesn’t smell of anything really which is surprising because of the sheer abundance of food being sold here.

What kind of food you ask?

Doriyaki, mochi, candy, sponge cakes, danishes, roasted sweet potatoes, all kinds of chestnut delights (they’re in season), okonomiyaki – the list just goes on and on.

But there’s more than just food and trinkets to this ginormous market.

Feel like petting a tiny pig? There’s a place for that!

Don’t feel like petting a pig? Want a stock up on some stickers instead? There’s a place for that, too!

An entire store dedicated just to stickers. Floor to ceiling stickers. These stickers, I am told, are designed by a “crew” called by B-Side Label.

The two girls (see photo) drum up business. They stand at the front yelling “Stickas! Stickas! Come in! Dozo. Stikas!”

Once inside, you get the tiniest shopping basket for your stickers.

In the art shop, I spend a very long time browsing. Wood block prints made on old paper. Prints of images we’ve all come to associate with Japan. The old man inside does swift business.

Evening falls as I head over to my side of the river. I stop in at the cafe for a pot of tea and a chat with the servers who now come to hang out for a bit at my table.

I’ll leave you with a photo of the most photographed spot in Kyoto (I think).

To quote the taxi driver (Junji Yoshida) who gave us a ride and who’s also a Kyoto tour guide, “If one place had to sum up Kyoto in a film, the neighborhood of Tatsumibashi Bridge would be a strong contender.”

With that, I’ll say good night.

---

Copyright © 2023
Lisi-Tana.com
All Rights Reserved