Nishiki-koji Market, downtown Kyoto (lots of photos)


Pickle heaven. Pickle hell. Pickles, pickles everywhere.


I started the day with a walk through the Nishiki-koji food market. A very long covered arcade with so many amazing things. I generally skipped over the dried fish (which was about 50% of the goods) and focused my attention on the other things. The place was thronged and business was jumpin'.



Try some pickles?



This is how they do it. Don't ask me any more.





The nice pickle lady let me try some pickled gobo that seemed to have fallen from pickle heaven. (This is not gobo in front of her.)






There was also a miso stall. I wanted to try them all but got nothing.




I offer this self-protrait.


I almost always asked for permission to take pictures. This time I didn't and after I shot the first one, I stood there thinking up a better angle. The woman working there tried to be helpful and with a "Hai, dozo" (yes, please, you're welcome) she moved the spoon out of my way. When she turned her back, I put the spoon back in place but this one doesn't beat the first.




Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present five mushrooms for $500.



What? That's too much? Well here's just one for $38.


So I walk into this little restaurant for some inari--yum. It's early (11:45-ish). I'm the only customer. I sit there reading Lonely Planet. Finally. I'm done, and the nice lady comes over to help me out. She says things I cannot understand at all. It's a 3 sentence blur of "dssdhkjdshkjfd-mass, sdfkshiusehuefb-masss, asdkjhaukwed-gozimass." Apologetically, I said, "Sumimasen. Wakarimasen" (I'm sorry, I don't understand.) and in halting English she says, "I say, I wish to have permission to remove trays." Hahaha. OK. Not everything is a command or instruction. Sometimes it's just politeness.




Posted: Sun - October 31, 2004 at 09:01 PM        

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