Kachidoki Farmers Market

Marché of the Sun, otherwise known as the Kachidoki Farmers Market. It began only September of last year, and sells fresh produce and natural products from farmers all over Japan. 

 

The market is held one weekend a month in the newly-developing Kachidoki area of Tokyo. It is either sponsored or "supported" by Mitsui Fudosan Residential, a real estate giant that most likely wants to entice visitors to move to the area. 

The "marché" in the official name gives you an idea of how it wants to be perceived -- upscale and for a younger generation. Another indication is the impeccable official homepage. Its design and features are magazine-perfect. They even have a series that introduces participating farmers and their farming methods. 

Truth be told, Kachidoki is a lovely, very livable area. The historical Sumida River, which cuts through a large swath of Tokyo, is right nearby. And while Kachidoki itself screams "new area", immediately neighboring it is Tsukishima, which has a more traditional vibe.

To wit: to get to the market area from Kachidoki Station, you have the option of two bridges: a foot bridge or an automated escalator (to the left).

Contrary to what you would expect from a farmers market, though, the produce is far from cheap. A single strawberry cost 100 yen (1 USD)! This is definitely a market for those who can afford to be conscientious.

 

On the other hand, you get to see a lot of vegetables that you would never find in a supermarket, so simply going from stall to stall and browsing is a joy. For example, I'd never seen naganegi (Japanese bunching onion) so close to flowering before!

 A sesame stand that shows how sesame oil is distilled.

 Artisanal coffee.

 Yam babies, as tiny as a pinball.

This looks like goldfish but is actually chrysanthemum jam. 

 A stand selling shaved dried bonito, which you can use as a base for miso soup.

 

A handful of food trucks were out as well.

 Sour cream cheesecake.

One of the many nearby rivers that feed into Sumida River. 

 Jellyfish are a common sight.

The next market will be on May 10th and 11th!

Flowers Make the Home

In Tsukishima, in the narrow streets running parallel to the famous Monja Street. Although the nearby Kachidoki and Toyosu are considered new, posh areas, Tsukishima still has a shitamachi feel, clearly reflected in the architecture.

The narrow streets running vertical to the famous Monja Street are lined with nagaya (row houses.) In the photo above, diners enjoy their food outside of the restaurant -- the cramped Tokyo's equivalent of dining out in a terrace. 

Though the houses are old, and some seemingly run-down, the inhabitants put a lot of effort into making their spaces beautiful in manageable ways. Many houses have so many potted plants out front, you'd think they were running a gardening shop.

 

Columbines seemed to be particularly popular.

Turtles are a popular choice of pet.

Two sets of two turtles stacked on top of each other.

Surreptitiously-kept goldfish also seemed to be popular.

Was there once a shrine here?

I'm guessing the initial idea was to prevent cats from walking through, but somewhere along the way it simply became a repository for garbage.

Dissecting Matsuri Outfits

 

The annual summer festival in Tsukishima was last weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the actual event, but I walked down the main street just as it was beginning to prepare for the festival.

Hundreds of names are listed on this wooden board -- names of everyone (generally from the community) who donated to the festival.

 

The man in white walking in the center of the photo is wearing a koikuchi shirt ("carp mouth" shirt, because the opening of the sleeve looks like a carp's open mouth) and momohiki pants in a pattern that makes him look a bit like a walking skeleton. The white tabi shoes also add to the overall effect.

I particularly like seeing kids dressed up in festival gear. It's simply traditional clothing, but it makes them look practically avant-garde today. The little boys here are wearing a harakake, a tunic/apron that is generally favored by women. Even their tenugui cloths (worn on their heads) match their outfits!

Christmas in Tsukishima

Tsukishima's Monja-dori, with its countless monja and okonomiyaki restaurants, and mom-and-pop shops selling everything from rice to old toys, may seem like one of the most staunchly traditional areas in Tokyo. 

However, even they are unable to resist the opportunity for decoration that Christmas provides.

 

Tastefully placed old stuff seems to be the appeal of this store. (I have no idea what their wares actually are.)

 

I fell instantly in love with this rotary phone cover. (Sewed using leftover fabric for the cushion covers, perhaps?)

A highly concentrated amount of advertising for such a small space. Note the Santa on the right, the tree in the middle and on the left, and the wreath. The bulletin board also shows a hand-drawn Christmas menu.

 "Please do not take these."

Oh please. We are looking at geraniums here, not even poinsettias.

Now if I were the owner, I would be worried about someone trying to steal this old-school stereo. (A classic Cicena.)

In the same way that Japan has created the tradition of couples going out on Christmas Eve, they have also made it a tradition to eat fried chicken for Christmas. Hence this man in a chicken suit, shilling Family Mart chicken on Christmas Eve. He clowned around with amazing commitment, but passers-by weren't impressed enough to actually buy anything.

Tokyo City Lights

 A view of Tokyo by night, viewed from my grandmother's place in Tsukishima. This is the River Sumida. The spot of orange near the center of the screen is Hongwanji Temple.

 To he left is Tsukishima's famed Monja-dori.

Kachidoki Bridge, and, of course, Tokyo Tower as the sun sets.

 A miraculously unblurry close-up.