Japan: Kyoto - Nishiki market and Teramachi

Date: 22nd March, 2015

After exploring Gion, I crossed over to the other side of Shijo Street.

Sticky rice bbq sweet — I forgot what this was called. Mitarashi Dango? Essentially pounded sticky rice grilled and then coated with sweetened soy sauce. It was chilly and I felt like eating something hot.

Narrow lane Kyoto Japan — I walked around a bit and found myself in a narrow lane full of bars

Kyoto bar Japan — Quite trendy and discreet

Stream Kyoto city Japan — Back out in the open

Crab restaurant Kyoto Japan — No guesses as to what this restaurant specializes in

Teramachi shopping street — That crab restaurant was the end of the Teramachi shopping arcade

Teramachi street Kyoto Japan — Teramachi pretty big and these arcades are spread across for much of Shijo Street

Kyoto shopping district Japan — But I was trying to find Nishiki Market, as it was getting late

Nishiki market evening Kyoto Japan — Sadly, by the time I found Nishiki market, I was late. Most stores were closing or already closed.

Nishiki market store Kyoto Japan — Nishiki market has been around for centuries and was Kyoto’s main fish market. Nowadays you will find many restaurants and stores selling specialties like Japanese sweets, pickles and dried seafood.

Nara Zuke pickle Kyoto Japan — This is a pickled cucumber called Nara Zuke

Barbecue street food Nishiki Kyoto — Lots of food on sticks

Stick grilled snacks Kyoto Japan — Vegetables and meat

Crackers Nishiki market Kyoto Japan — Lot of stores give out samples. These were some rice crackers.

Flower shop Nishiki Market Kyoto — Some were still open for business

Fresh oysters Nishiki market Kyoto Japan — Oysters

Nishiki market art Kyoto Japan — I left Nishiki market and walked back to Teramachi

Egg tart Kyoto Japan — Saw a bakery that specializes in egg tarts

Egg strawberry jam tart Kyoto — This was an egg tart with strawberry jam and strawberry filling. Costs ¥291 (₹158/$2.4/€2)

Manga B-side label shop Kyoto Japan — There are several shops along Teramachi street. From eateries, souvenir shops, clothing stores, brand stores to unique one-of-a-kind shops like B-Side Label, which sells nothing but stickers! You also have a few stores selling manga and other pop culture merchandise here.

Shinkyogoku shopping arcade Kyoto Japan — Shinkyogoku is another shopping arcade similar to Teramachi

Kyoto road night traffic Japan — After doing some shopping H&M (a sale was going on), I felt I was done for the day and decided to head back to the hostel

Mosburger meal Kyoto Japan — There was a Mosburger at the intersection and I decided to have my dinner from here. I love Mosburger and the quality of beef here was so much better than I what I’ve had at other Mosburgers outside Japan. This meal cost ¥590 (₹320/$4.8/€4.3)

Kyoto bus stop Japan — What the bus stops look like here

I walked all the way back to Shiori-an Guesthouse even though my feet was feeling the strain. I just wanted to see the surroundings some more. It wasn’t super far or anything, a 20-30 minute walk. On the way back, I stopped at a 100 Yen store, bought one of those see-through umbrellas (which 7-11s sell for ¥300 to ¥500), picked up some snacks and some other bargain gems. You always find some cool items at these 100 Yen stores.

Taxi pedestrian crossing Kyoto Japan — Ahh, taxi drivers. Even in orderly Japan, taxi drivers live up to their reputation of flouting the rules.

I took a warm bath back at Shiori-an Guesthouse, did my daily expenses, planned tomorrow’s activities and then called it a night. Tomorrow I would visit the famous Fushimi Inari temple and see Kyoto’s famous temples.

Next posts in this series:

Japan 2015: Kyoto – Fushimi Inari-taisha, and climbing to the mountain top

Japan 2015: Kyoto – Kinkaku-ji and Kiyomizu Dera temple

Japan 2015: Kyoto – Gion Corner Cultural Show

Japan 2015: Kyoto – Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama

Japan 2015: Kyoto – Monkey Park in Arashiyama

Japan 2015: Kyoto Station, and arriving at Himeji by shinkansen

Japan 2015: Himeji Castle, and the unexpected air show

Japan 2015: Nadagiku Shuzo Sake Brewery, leaving Himeji for Tokyo — and my last bullet train ride

Japan 2015: Nakamise street, Senso-ji temple, and Ueno Park sakura at half-bloom

Japan 2015: Ueno Zoo – pandas, a lonely polar bear, and more

Japan 2015: Shibuya – the busiest crossing in the world, and home to a loyal dog