Eat Your Way Through the Nishiki Market in Kyoto
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Take a peek inside the Nishiki Market. Located in Kyoto, the market sells a wide variety of local food, much of it served on sticks.
A stop at the Nishiki Market is a must during any visit to Kyoto.
Dating back to the 14th century, Kyoto’s Nishiki Market has been operating as a market for over 400 years. The market is five narrow blocks long and has 126 stalls. The market is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m. Those are the facts.
The reality is that the market lives up to its nickname of “the Kitchen of Kyoto” with its stunning variety of fresh Japanese delicacies. Sophisticated yet accessible, the market is a necessary part of any Kyoto itinerary for food travelers like us as well as for average tourists.
Our Visit to the Nishiki Market in Kyoto
We arrived at Nishiki Market at 5 p.m. to find it bustling with both locals and tourists.
We immediately realized that most vendors were offering samples. Each sample was better than the last sample, from fresh fish to pickles to walnuts to fried treats.
The samples were effective. We couldn’t resist buying various items as we walked through the market.
We loved the marinated raw fish on sticks sold at Kimura, the oldest stall in the market.
Part ceviche. Part sashimi. Totally delicious.
Food on sticks was one of the themes of the market. Another theme was fried food. One market treat combined these two themes.
How can you not love a fried tiger prawn topped with a spicy sauce?! We couldn’t and we didn’t.
We also tried a fish cake on a stick.
Not surprisingly, it was tasty too.
Not all of the fish and seafood was fried and on sticks.
We would have bought some for later if only we had a kitchen and more time.
Next time we’re in Kyoto, maybe we should get an apartment so that we can shop at the market and cook at home. Maybe we’ll even stay in a hotel near the market when we return.
Thankfully, we didn’t need a kitchen to enjoy the takoyaki. All we needed to do was pay our 180 yen (less than $2 USD) at the vending machine and dig in.
We kept it simple with one jumbo takoyaki plate to share as opposed to topping our octopus balls with cheese or spring onions. Simple but delicious.
Although takoyaki is an Osaka food specialty, the Kyoto rendition did not disappoint.
The only challenge was to keep the gooey filling from burning our mouths.
We were up to the challenge.
We are very familiar with takoyaki, having first discovered them years ago in the basement of the Sogo department store in Hong Kong. It’s a good thing, since we may not have been enticed by the stall’s description of takoyaki as “the food in which the flour mixture water containing an octopus was toasted” otherwise.
Another theme of the market was pickling.
All types of vegetables were pickled and available for sampling and buying during our Nishiki Market visit.
Some other food items caught our eye during our culinary stroll.
We were overwhelmed with choices, not that we’re complaining.
The market was more than just food. There were also stalls that sold pottery, trinkets and other non-food items. We wandered around Aritsugu, a stall with all kinds of kitchenware. Being left-handed, Daryl was tempted by the selection of left-handed knives though he ultimately bought a Japanese knife on Kappabashi Street in Tokyo instead.
We ended our Nishiki Market experience with a non-Japanese treat. We can’t resist a pastel de nata since we honeymooned in Portugal. Some have been good (i.e., Montreal) and some have been not so good (i.e., Macau). Trust the Japanese to recreate the Portuguese pastry with perfect creamy, caramelized precision!
We enjoyed the Nishiki Market so much that we didn’t have room for dinner. Oh well, such are the sacrifices that we make in the quest for awesome local travel.
The Nishiki Market in Kyoto is located at Japan, 〒604-8054 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, 富小路通四条上る西大文字町609.
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