Fabric: Silk (and cotton) kimono can be found for 500-1K yen each at the flea markets. Silk washes pretty easily and releases many stains well (cold water and very mild soap, hand washed for 10 min or less, and then dry flat). Obi–the sash for the kimono, also run 500Y and up. If you can’t make it to a flea market, you can find used kimono and obi in some second hand stores; expect to pay 2x as much as I’ve listed.
Temple souvenirs: every temple will have wooden plaques, charms, sometimes figurines and other items for sale. They run 100 yen and up, and the proceeds support each temple. Many items are intended for you to write a wish and then hang at the temple. The monks will eventually burn it and say a prayer over it. It is perfectly normal for you to take the plaque away, however, and write your wish at home (or not write a wish, but just keep it as a cool souvenir). In addition to the wooden plaques, we’ve brought home mini backpacks (tiny versions of what all the kiddos use!), safe-driving amulets, paper mache fox, ceramic bell in the shape of a fish, bells, sakura balls, fabric monkeys (these are available as a string of monkeys too and they are traditionally used as scapegoats).
Purses: the ones designed to go with kimono are either basket on the bottom with a drawstring fabric on top, or plastic or leather modern versions. The plastic ones can be pretty cool looking and sometimes have matching shoes.
Kokeshi: the wooden dolls can sometimes be as cheap as $1. Those selling to tourists know they can charge more. What you want to look for is 1) painting in vibrant condition. Often the kokeshi have been cleaned with something that dulls the paint. 2) unusual shapes and face/body paiting that you are drawn to and 3) a signature on the bottom indicates higher quality. Similar to the kokeshi you will see souvenirs from onsen towns. These wooden dolls often have little towels on their heads (as one dresses in a hot bath).
Laquered wood: good quality laquerwear is expensive, and to the American eye, it all looks like plastic. We saw a set of 20 green laquer bowls with 2 different designs on the lids (nicely painted), and at $15-$20 a bowl they were a good deal. You can see some good quality ones at some flea markets. A great store for better quality antique laquer, if you are ready to spend more, is Tessai-Doh Co, near Kohdai-Ji Monzen St, Higashiyamaku, Kyoto (open 10-17). They have 2 other stores that specialize in antique painting and prints; we did not visit them. There are also classic laquerware stores selling new items, like Zohiko, hear Heian Shrine.
Kitchen items: knives, scissors, ginger graters with a little bamboo whisk.
Gashapon: Gashapon are miniatures dispensed by vending machine. The word itself is an onomatopoeia – “gasha” for the sound the dial makes when you twist it, and “pon” for the thunk the ball makes when it lands in the tray. Unlike in the United States where the dispensed items are cheap and crappy, gashapon miniatures are often well-made and intricately detailed. Gashapon usually cost anywhere from 100 to 500 yen (US$0.75-US$3.84) with a few costing as much as 1500 yen. There is an active secondary collector’s market in gashapon with rare gashapon often selling for hundreds of dollars. In every city, there are at least one or two gashapon shops. (There are also gashapon for adults only. They have 18+ signs on them and the gashapon ball dispensed is usually opaque black plastic)
It’s difficult to describe in words what gashapon shops are like. Imagine hundreds of slot machines, but no flashing lights, loud music or shrill whistles announcing winners. Instead imagine hundreds of people furiously pumping 100 yen coins into the gashapon machines and joyfully collecting a prize with employees rushing around refilling the machines. It’s like gambling in that there are many possible gashapon you can receive from each machine but everyone wins.
What kinds of gashapon can you get? In one store (#c-pla), we found miniature shoes, appliances, cars, key rings, food (from curries to sushi to ramen to seafood), cats, dogs, power tools, fuses, crates, propane canisters, grocery items, tea ceremony components, dolls, furniture (desk chairs, beds), appliances and the list goes on.
If you go to just one market, go to this one. It’s smaller than many of the other markets, but has an incredible variety of Japanese antique and near-antique items, many of very high quality and great prices. We saw many beautiful lacquer, wood, ceramic, woodblock, scroll and other antique items. Even Dan, who doesn’t like shopping, found this market to be fun to explore. It happens on the 1st Sunday of the month at Toji temple, just southwest of Kyoto station. Several bus lines run nearby or you can walk from Kyoto station or the Toji (Kintetsu) station. Free entry. Notes: Unlike all the other markets, there are very few food vendors here – we only saw one coffee and one oden (stew) vendor. Also, the Kobo-ichi (or Mieku) market occurs on the 21st of each month at the same location – it’s more of a generalist market and much larger than Garakuta-ichi; some junk, some souvenirs, some handicrafts, some antiques (see description below).
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This market occurs on the 15th of every month at Chion-ji temple (google map)(“Inside Kyoto” link describing market). All sellers are apparently supposed to sell only their own handmade stuff. As far as we could tell, that seemed true. But this was not a crappy souvenir market – most of the goods, such as clothing, ceramics, homegoods, wood bowls and platters, lacquer, food/tea, kokedama, etc. were pretty amazing. There were at least 200 vendors spread out all over the grounds of the temple and it was snowing the day we went! High quality items, reasonable prices and a good excuse to visit a part of Kyoto that most tourists do not see. This temple is located very close to Kyoto University.
This enormous market occurs at Toji temple on the 21st of each month. It’s part of a monthly religious celebration at the temple commemorating the death of the founder, Kukai (named Kobo Daishi after he died), who died on the 21st of the month (in 835). There are so many stalls, I’m certain we missed some. There are many food vendors selling both prepared food and staples (e.g., pickles, meat, fish), with the remaining vendors selling anything from basic new clothing to used clothing and kimonos, to high-end antiques and crafts. The temple grounds and pagoda are impressive and definitely worth a visit separately, since the flea market covers just about the entire place, so it’s hard to get a sense of the history with the stalls there. Toji temple is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, located about 10 minutes walk southwest of Kyoto Station. Also, see Garakuta-ichi market description above – it’s an antique-specific market that occurs on the 1st Sunday of the month at Toji temple.
1. Select "Japanese Yen" In the "From" box.
2. Select your native currency in the "To" box. For example, US residents will select "US Dollar".
3. Type in the Yen amount you would like to convert into the "Amount" box. For example, if you would like to know how many US Dollars are in 500 Yen, type "500".
4. The conversation rate will display at the bottom of the gray box.
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Tip: By putting "US Dollar" in the "From" box instead, you can find out how many Japanese Yen are in a dollar. (The current exchange rate is around 140 Yen for every US Dollar.)
