Sunday - The sights and smells of the To-ji Flea Market


The 21st and 25th of every month are flea market days in Kyoto, first in the south of the city, and on the 25th in the northwest surrounding a Shinto shrine.  It's a fun atmosphere, with people packing walkways full of vendors hawking their wares.

Wes, Sheila, and I took a taxi there.  Here's what the backseat of a taxi looks like.  That's lace fabric seat covers, and you feel pretty special the first time you sit on one.  Things really are very clean and tidy in Kyoto - the streets, the public bathrooms, the parks, the taxi cabs.


If you'll indulge a moment of overinterpretation, here's the kitchen area of Nene House - pots and dishes under the sink and on the bottom, cleaning supplies on top!



Even their flea markets are tidily laid out and pretty well trash-free.  I didn't find much that I was interested to buy, but it sure was fun to look.  So many colors, sights, smells, noises.



Octopus balls.  That is, octopus meat wrapped in a ball of some kind of dough.


Slabs of sweet potato dried and ready to eat.


Lots of mochi:


Really cool insect figures made out of bamboo.  


Lots of Jizos - the Japanese do love him:


Fish of course:


And knives to prepare fish.


Okonomiyaki - vegetable pancakes, wrapped in on a stick and served with an egg.  We used to make these pancakes at Mt. Baldy Zen Center, but these looked better!


Vendors of course:



Lots of fabric.


I thought this game was kind of brilliant.  A kid spins the roulette wheel to see whether he or she gets two or three little sticks of candy (that's them in the back).  













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