I love markets and wherever I travel I make time to go to fish markets, food markets, night markets, souks, Christmas markets…In Japan, you get to sample delicious fresh fish and sushi at the markets. Other places to sample different Japanese foods, especially sweets, are department store basements. Often they also have a grocery shop. It’s always such eye candy, with the variety of cakes, fruits, cookies, and mochi.

The most famous market is probably Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market, now Toyosu Market, where wholesale and tuna auctions continue. The shops around the original wholesale centre at Tsukiji now form the Tsukiji Outer Market, where you can continue to visit for shopping and having a bite to eat.

The most famous market in Kyoto is the Nishiki Market. This was our stop on our last stay of our trip. I was flying back to Singapore later that night.

Nishiki Market 錦市場

Nishiki Market is a sprawling five-block long shopping street that officially dates back 400 years to an open-air market. Going back to the Edo period (1603 – 1868), Nishiki Market began as a fish wholesale district though a market is said to have existed as early as the Heian period (794-1185).

The market is often called “Kyoto’s Kitchen” as it supplies vegetables, various types of fish, seasonal ingredients, and other items to both Kyoto’s restaurants and homes.

Stretching over 1300 feet between Takakura Street and Teramachi Street, Nishiki Market has over a hundred vendors. There are restaurants, food stalls, and shops selling knives, cookware, household goods, sake, fresh produce, pickles, and sweets.

If you want to check out traditional foods, this is a great place to go. Many of the shops have been run by the same family for generations. If you like raw oysters, you may want to check out Nishiki Daiyasu. According to the Nishiki Market website, the owner’s great grandfather started selling oysters from Hiroshima before opening a shop at the market. They also sell fresh sashimi, tempura, and a variety of Kyoto home-style dishes.

As the largest food market in Kyoto, we weren’t going to miss it.

Mid-morning my parents, my sister and I headed to the market. It gave us some time to casually stroll to check out what’s fresh and what to have for lunch. We stopped by many stalls and had sushi and a few snacks before sitting down for a meal, and then later, a tea with desserts. Many of the sit-down restaurants have sample meals and their prices by the entrance. Even though it’s mostly plastic, it all looks so delicious.

Shopping at Nishiki Market

The market is one avenue with shops on both sides and it was fun stopping to look at everything more closely. Being such a tourist attraction, there is English written on the labels on many items. We didn’t have trouble getting our questions asked or ordering food. Aside from eating, we also stopped at Aritsugu.

Dating back to 1560, Aritsugu was originally “Swordsmith Fujiwara Aritsugu.” Everything – an array of knives and cookware- is made by craftspeople. It was quite crowded when we visited the shop and it was worth it. Maybe you’re not in the market for a knife, we were. I did purchase a couple of copper mesh ladles. I loved all the spoons and ladles. (FYI – there’s a Chinese taboo against gifting knives.)

Foods to Check out at Nishiki Market

There is so, so much at the market and it can seem daunting, especially if you’re new to Japanese food and snacks. I have my own favourites, like mochi. I also love senbei rice crackers. Usually we get the crispy kind that’s baked with soya sauce. At Nishiki Market, you can try a different kind – soft rice crackers. Instead of dipping the mochi dough in the sauce before being cooked, for this kind, it’s done afterwards. This softens the cracker, giving it a soft centre. TerakoyaHonpo sells both these soft variety and rice dumplings or dango. For soy donuts, head to Konnamonja.

An eye-catching Japanese treat you may have spotted is probably Taiyaki. It’s shaped like a fish, a sea bream (tai) and dates back to the early 1900s.  Made with waffle or pancake batter, it comes with various fillings, such as red bean paste made from adzuki beans. Other choices include chocolate, green tea, custard, chocolate, sweet potato, cheese, and ice cream. In Nishiki Market, you can find “Taiyaki fu manju”, which is made with wheat bread and is less dense.

Mochi or Dango?

So you may have heard of mochi – what’s dango? These are actually quite different. Traditionally, dango is made from rice flour rather than glutinous rice – flour vs grain. Dango is chewy while mochi is soft.

The process of making them is different. To make mochi, the sweet glutinous rice is pounded with a pestle. For dango, the rice flour is kneaded.

Dango is presented on sticks. A stick of three or five, usually. With mochi, it’s sold separately on its own or in a package of a few.

Though with the proliferation of different kinds of both mochi and dango, the line between the raw ingredients used for each has become blurred. Some mochi is made with a mix of both. What’s important is that both are delicious. Preference may come down to texture and the flavours.

Kyoto’s Nishiki Market | Japanese Sweets | Restaurants | Goods

Getting to Nishiki Market

Located one street north of Shijo Avenue, Nishiki Market is a quick subway ride from Kyoto Station on the Karasuma Line. From the station, it’s a short 5-10 minute walk. It’s also a do-able half-hour walk from Kyoto Station.

Store closures vary and the arcade is open 9 or 10 AM to 6 PM. We went mid-morning, in time for a stroll and to decide what to eat for lunch.

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