Nishiki Market – Kyoto

Kyoto is amazing, that’s a given. It is full of history, world-famous sights, shops, and it is a foodie’s heaven. If you like to eat, and you are not afraid to try new things, the first place you have to head to once in Kyoto is Nishiki Market.

You will find the market in the centre of Kyoto a few back streets away from Daimaru. The market is covered which is fortunate as it was raining when we got there.

Walk along the gallery and get overwhelmed by choice and smells.

Note that you can shop for anything related to food there. Ingredients, serveware, the world renowned Japanese knives – the perfect destination to shop for some Japanese souvenirs!

Our strategy, after seeing how big the market was, was to walk the full length of it to see what all the options were, then walk back the whole way and start ordering some food. Doing so you won’t miss a thing AND you will walk off the calories – win!

Nishiki market is a very busy place and the main challenge is to reach the counters and then find a little corner to nibble, most of the time standing.

What is also fascinating about the market is that it has been around for several centuries, and a lot of the shops have been owned by the same families for generations. You literally cannot do more authentic than that, even if you were trying!

On the hunt for our lunch, we knew we very much wanted some seafood. Some were a little too weird or almost too alive for our liking.

Eventually, we settled for some Takoyaki, also known as octopus balls or doughnuts.

Looking at the guy cooking them is entertaining in itself! I mean, how fast can one human being move?

We also went for some ‘not too sure what it is but it’s delicious’ corn dog like seafood stick.

We grabbed a few more things, some crab legs, pickled vegetables, and others, but we got too hungry and I stopped taking pictures. Ooops!

So if you are a foodie like us, Nishiki Market will be right up your street! Be curious, try new things, and come home with some packs of dry mushrooms and kimchi.

Planning a trip to Japan? make sure to check out my guides to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hakone and Hiroshima!

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