Initially we intended to revisit Arashiyama this morning since our visit to the bamboo grove last evening was in darkness. You may read the previous post on what happened. However, we decided to give it a miss as we did manage to see a bamboo grove in Kodai-ji Temple on our 1st night in Kyoto. Instead, we chose to visit Nishiki Market this morning.
Nishiki Market (錦市場, Nishiki Ichiba) is a narrow, five block long shopping street lined by more than one hundred shops and restaurants.
At the eastern end of Nishiki Market stands Nishiki Tenmangū, a Shinto shrine dedicated to the deity Tenjin.
Easily spotted by the many softly glowing lanterns hung at the entrance, Nishiki Tenmangū's cozy grounds contain a natural spring, some nostalgic fortune-telling, a statue of Tenjin’s divine messenger, and a sanctuary dedicated to Tenjin himself.
After our quick visit to the shrine, we started our food adventure along the narrow shopping street.
The market has a history of several centuries, and many stores have been operated by the same families for generations. It all started as a fish wholesale district, with the first shop opening around 1310.
By the way, do make sure to refrain from eating while walking as it is considered bad manners and a major nuisance by local shoppers. A few of the shops are sit-down establishments, although some consist of no more than a couple of stools and a bar.
In one of the shops that we visited, there is a huge black board for anyone to draw on. I drew a "Singa" face on it before we left. If you do see the Singa when you visit the market, it's by me. :-)
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