Day 7: Kyoto – Nishiki Food Market

Another place on our itinerary that Ling read from Japan-Guide.com was Nishiki Food Market, an about 300 meter stretch that runs almost parallel to Shijo-dori. She wanted to check out this place, time permitting. So, after stuffing ourselves silly with Musashi’s sushi (must try, Matt!!!), we took a walk towards the market since it was all in the same area; Kawaramachi. The Food Market offers hundreds of shops selling fresh, preserved and cooked foods, and is apparently known as “Kyoto’s Kitchen” even. I wonder what would happen if fire broke out in this place and it had to shut down for a week, what would happen to all of the city’s restaurants! From Japan-Guide.com, some of these shops have been family-run for generations, given that the Food Market itself is centuries old.

The place was packed with lunch time crowds at about noon time. If you thought that Japanese people are always polite, a walk through this Food Market street will disprove that! The Japanese can push and shove like the rest of the world, and I was certainly one beneficiary from that experience.

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The entrance to the Food Market, just off Teramachi Street.
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Ling sampling some delicious pickles.:)
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Fresh fish at 1000円, or SGD15.
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Looks like salted or preserved foods.
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You can't tell from the picture, but trust me when I said that it was packed with people.
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Dried foods.
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Herbal foods, I think. Not sure. I failed Chinese!
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For vegans.
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Assuming that I got the unit prices right, these are pretty expensive veggies.
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Crabs! Not quite like those mutant-size Indian crabs we get at home though.
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Tiger-sized prawns!
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The most expensive strawberries we've ever seen. That small basket of six in the middle costs 4200円, or SGD63, or SGD10 for each one! Ouch!!!
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Sea cucumber and fish roe.
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No clue what this shop was selling.
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Ling's best guess for this shop is that it's selling pickled veggies.
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Finally, something we can buy - tidbits and snacks for home.:)