Nishiki Market welcomes you to Kyoto with its yummy street food
Nishiki Market is a 390 meters long arcaded shopping street that runs parallel to Shijo-dori Street. At its narrowest the market is only 3.5 meters wide, and its widest 5 meters, so the market can feel a bit crowded at times. The market can easily be recognized from the colors of the arcade: green, red, and yellow. The light shining through the roof is said to make the foods and snacks sold in the market look more delicious.
The shopping market has become one of the main tourist attractions of Kyoto, so you can hear Chinese, English, Spanish, and Korean all around you, but the market still retains a place in Kyoto’s heart –the market is even called the kitchen of Kyoto.
1Highlight
Colorful traditional Japan
Most articles about Nishiki Market all have a picture of this shop, Uchida Tsukemono, which sells tsukemono – Japanese pickles. And not only are these tsukemono pretty to look at, but you can also taste them inside the shop, and decide what type to buy back to your hotel or hostel with you.
2Highlight
Souvenirs with a traditional Japanese feel
There are many souvenir shops in the market too, many of them selling wares hard to find elsewhere, like these beans in boxes with traditional Japanese pictures on them. Some shops sell sake in bottles with skulls on them, some in pink bottles, and some in small barrels with a picture of geisha on them. The thing is, there is something for everyone at Nishiki Market.
3Good Experiences
Try some street food
Nishiki Ichiba is the mecca for street food in Kyoto, and for a good reason. The great variety, from crispy chicken and takoyaki to baby octopuses on a stick and grilled sparrows makes this a fun place to snack in. Get a cup of crispy chicken and look at all the different things they sell in this market, but don’t wander too far from the stall you bought it from, as there are no trash cans: you should let the stall throw your trash away, or just bring a plastic bag with you so you can take your trash with you back to the hotel.
4Good Experiences
Eat a whole baby octopus
If there is one snack more famous than the rest, it has to be the baby octopus on a stick with a quail’s egg in place of its brains. The look is part of the fun, getting to eat something that, well, is a whole octopus on a stick. The taste itself is actually rather good, and the quail’s egg goes really well with the octopus, so be sure to taste one! Your friends back home will definitely be jealous.
4.4
experience4.5
access4.5
photogenic4.3
Price
Overseas Tourist-Friendly
Sampo
4.5
experience4.5
access5.0
photogenic4.0
The market is a great place to try all kinds of Japanese food, from the soul food classics like takoyaki to the delicacies that may take a bit of courage to eat, like grilled sparrows.
Writer Details
Erika
4.3
experience4.5
access4.0
photogenic4.5
Nishiki Market is called the kitchen of Kyoto, and it’s always bustling with locals and tourists! There are stalls selling street food, places where you can taste sake, stores selling Japanese commodities, just so much you won’t know where to look!
My recommendation is to just eat what you think looks interesting, go to the shops that you think look good, and just enjoy Nishiki Market!
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Nishiki Market
/ 錦市場
| Category | Landmarks |
|---|---|
| Phone | +81 75-211-3882 (This is the phone number of the office) |
| Address | Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto |
| Directions | Close from both Hankyu Karasuma and Kawaramachi stations, and also Keihan Gion-Shijo Station. |
| Open Hours | Most shops are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Reservations | No |
| Closed | Depends on the shop or restaurant, but all shops are open on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. |
| Price range |
Depends on the shop or restaurant.
|
| Credit cards | Depends on the shop, but most don’t seem to accept credit cards. |
| Overseas Tourist-Friendly |
Most signs and menus have English and some even have Chinese.
|
| Information | Japanese |
| Lanuages spoken | Mainly Japanese, but some shops have English and Chinese speaking staff. |
| URL1 | http://kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/ |
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