This is Arai Yakushi temple in Tokyo. On Sundays, the temple hosts a flea market with about 40 vendors selling Japanes antiques and vintage
Finding flea markets in Tokyo is surprisingly not as difficult. All the info about it is humongous and just a google away. Keeping up with the schedule is however a different matter. Most of them open every weekend, some others open on the 2nd or 3rd Sunday of every month, one opens only on the 18th and 28th of every month, and so on. The good thing about it though is practically every weekend you have one or two flea markets to go. So during my brief visit last month I managed to visit two of them. The first one was right in Shinjuku, about 7 minute walk from the station. Just like most flea markets in Japan, Hana Zuno flea market is also located in a temple called …Hana-Zuno. Kimono, old coins and dolls are a common view in this flea market. The old glass painting of a Japanese lady in her kimono that you see below, I got it from here. The second flea market is at Arai Yakushi, a little more difficult to find, but it is worth the hassle because in terms of quantity and quality, this place is obviously better. Here antique martavans, imari plates, china and ceramics make me go gaga. Unfortunately they are not the kind of items I would buy in a flea market, besides it’s a bit risky carrying those fragile ceramics in a long flight. So I ended up getting nothing except those photos and a good impression how well the Japanese preserves, manages, and organizes these flea markets, they become not only a tourist destination but also a tradition. Have a good week ahead everyone!
At Arai-Yakushi flea market, antique and old imari paintings are a common view.
