On the 21st of every month, Toji Temple Market is held at the Toji Temple. The market starts at 7am and ends at 4pm! If you classify yourself under the category of bargain hunter, it is advisable that you go to the market earlier as "the early bird catches the most worms!"
The flea market sells second hand kimonos for as low as 500-1000 yen. Do inspect the pieces which you are planning to buy carefully as most of the kimonos have moth holes and some of them have their sleeves ripped off! Bear in mind that it is very difficult to remove the yellowish stains caused by age. Do leave a tag on how to remove them if you managed to get yours out because mine kimono is still stained after washing!
There are different kinds of kimonos for different seasons. If you are young and unmarried please buy a brightly coloured kimono, with huge prints. If you are thinking of purchasing an autumn kimono, make sure the sleeves are long enough to touch your calves! If you all have not heard my sob story, I have bought 2 Lao Zar Bors kimonos :(
We headed off to Ippodo Main Store for Tea in the Kaboku Tearoom, to learn the art of brewing a perfect cup of tea!
A brief intro from the website about the Tea House: Located in the heart of Kyoto, Ippodo Tea Co. has been providing the highest quality Japanese green tea for nearly 3 centuries. Drawing on nearly 300 years of expertise in blending, Ippodo is famous among its patrons for providing a high quality taste that is consistent not only throughout the year but from year to year.
Further information can be gotten from the website : http://www.ippodotea.co.jp/en/about/index.html [in english]
Address: Teramachi-dori Nijo, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-0915, JAPAN
Opening Hours: 9am-7pm (Mon-Sat), 9am-6pm (Sun & holidays), closed during New Year Holidays
For dinner we tried Tsunamichi: Country Style Handmade Soba and Udon
the menu is written in japanese and the owners do not speak english. The easiest way to place an order is by pointing at what other's are having or pointing at the dishes in the showcase outside the shop.
Address: Kyoto-shi Kita-ku Kitaoji-dori Karasuma Higashi-Hitosuji Kita-iru
Access: Alight at Kitaojiekimae Bus Stop, walk straight in the direction towards the golden pavillion and turn down the first side street(left hand side). The shop is 2-3 mins away from the Bus Stop.
Day 13: Kyoto Central Wholesale Market
We reached at 7.30am and they were cleaning and closing up. If you are interested in the Tuna auction do arrive at 5.30am to catch the action! I missed the Hustle and Bustle of the Auction but I arrived in time to see them slicing the huge fish! This market is less commercialised as the Central Wholesale Market in Tokyo, therefore this place is a gem if you do not want to meet hordes of photo crazy tourists! One drawback is that if you are thinking of having sashimi on top of rice for breakfast, I am sorry to tell you that there are no eateries to cater to your growling stomach! One consolidation is that towards closing, you can buy a piece of tuna for as low as 1000 yen and the fishmonger will gladly slice it for you. (I got about 15 as-thick-as-my-thumb slices for that price and now I am swearing off tuna) Becareful of the food transportation carts and Do not step on the wooden crates as they are used to push fish! We have traffic police to direct traffic on a congested street, they employ policemen to direct the food transportation carts!
We had lunch at Cocoichi: a japanese curry shop. It is located near to Horikawa Marutamachi Bus Stop. I was fascinated by the menu in this restaurant as you can 1) adjust the quatity of rice. For eg: a normal dish consist of 300g of rice. If you want to reduce the amount to 200g, it will be 50yen less the base price. If you want to increase it to 400g it is an additional of 100yen above the base price! 2) You can adjust the spice level. The regular level is hotter than the japanese curry sold in the supermarket! To change the spice level an addional 120yen is needed! Note: unless you really love hot and spicy food, I suggest that you do not alter the spice level! 3) You can add extra toppings into your curry! There is a lady's set which comes with a choice of drink.
A highly amusing notice I spotted in Gion
Gion -
I spotted many paparazzi frenzy wannabes! 6-7pm is the best time to spot a geisha along gion. Often when a real geisha/maiko spots the tourists, she will either quicken her pace and disappear down a side street or she will look down when she walks past you! If you spot any who are being followed by a group of girls, or by a photographer or who gladly smiles for you. There is a high chance that she is not a real geisha/maiko!
Along the main streets with the Yasaka Shrine behind us, we spotted this make shift shop! When we spoke to a local who was queuing for it, we found out that this shop's speciality is sweet rice balls and they are a favourite among the locals! She told me that the shop name is called Miyoshiya and that her son can finish 10 riceball sticks at each sitting! Though I cannot finish as many sticks as he does but I can easily gobble down 2 stick! The rice balls are SHIOK, so do try them when you are in Kyoto!
This shop's speciality is in green tea products. I was attracted to this shop because during the Gion Matsuri the queue for this shop was extremely long! I have no idea what the name of the shopis , neither do I have the exact address or location. If I remembered correctly it is along the left side of the main street with the yasaka shrine facing your back. We tried it & We loved it(: I heart the desserts (:
