Nishiki Market

Nishiki runs for about four hundred metres under a coloured glass roof, one shop wide on each side, and has fed Kyoto for centuries - originally because cold groundwater here kept fish fresh. The specialities are the city's own: barrels of pickled vegetables in a dozen colours, sheets of yuba lifted off soy milk, silken tofu, dashi-soaked rolled omelette cut thick, dried fish, sesame, sansho pepper, and green tea sold by weight. At the eastern end sit knife makers who will grind and name a blade for you. It has tilted heavily towards visitors in recent years, with more skewers and fewer suppliers, but the pickle and tofu shops are still doing what they always did.

History

Fish was sold here as early as 782, because the cold groundwater kept fish and meat fresh close to the imperial palace, and in 1615 the shogunate first gave official permission to sell fish here. In 1883, after the Meiji Restoration, competition had cut the number of shops to only 7 (Wikipedia, Nishiki Market).

What to look for

• Pickle barrels - Kyoto tsukemono by the tub, sold in slices and usually offered for tasting.
• Tofu and yuba shops - soy milk skin lifted fresh, sold in sheets or served in small bowls.
• Knife makers - forged blades at the Teramachi end, sharpened and engraved while you wait.
• Nishiki Tenmangu - the small bright shrine wedged into the arcade at the eastern exit.

When to go

Shops open through the morning and most begin closing around six in the evening, so this is a daytime visit. Mornings are far less crowded than afternoons. Some shops shut on Wednesdays or Sundays. Avoid weekend afternoons entirely if you want to look at anything rather than shuffle past it.

Good to know

It is now one of the most crowded lanes in Kyoto, and at busy hours you move at the pace of the group in front. Eating while walking is discouraged with signs and by shopkeepers, so buy and stand still. Prices carry a tourist premium, several stalls sell things unrelated to Kyoto, and the food shops are outnumbered by skewer counters.

Nearby

The Teramachi and Shinkyogoku arcades cross at the eastern end; Gion is 15 minutes east on foot.

Key facts