• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Explore Cook Eat

  • Recipes Home
  • 1,000 Foods to Eat Project
  • MUST Try Korean Dishes!
  • About Me
  • Recipes
    • USA
    • Asia
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Europe
  • Travel
    • USA
      • New Mexico
      • Texas
      • Utah
      • North Carolina
    • Japan
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Home » 1,000 Foods To Eat Project

Nishiki Market - 1,000 Foods To Eat Project

Jul 25, 2020Last Modified: August 10, 2020

This page may contain affiliate links. So I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. This post is about a visit to Nishiki Market in Kyoto, Japan!

1,000 Foods to Eat Project

I am working my way through the foods that are listed in the book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die by Mimi Sheraton. This is called my 1,000 Foods to Eat Project. A visit to Nishiki Market in Kyoto, Japan was food #37 in my project. 🙂

Ok, so Nishiki Market is not a food. The book actually lists some of what I would classify as "food experiences," of which a visit to this amazing market in Kyoto is one.

1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die Front Jacket

Nishiki Market

Please forgive this terrible blurry photo! This is all I have to show the entrance to the market.

Nishiki Market

This market is a 5 block long street in central Kyoto. It is comprised of more than 100 shops, stalls, and restaurants, and is also known as Kyoto's Kitchen. Many of the shops specialize in one particular food or item, and most everything is locally produced!

Nishiki Market

The history of the market goes back several centuries. It started as a fish market in the 1300's!! Now it consists of a variety of retail, restaurants, and shops catering to both tourists and locals alike.

Vendors freely offer samples galore, and there are many ready to eat snacks available, some of which are not for the faint of heart!

Dried fruit samples
For The Faint Of Heart 🙂
Quail and Sparrow
Not For The Faint Of Heart 🙂
Sparrow
My husband tried this sparrow! Definitely NOT for the faint of heart!

Below you will find a picture of Tako Tamago. Tako Tamago is a candied baby octopus, stuffed with a boiled quail egg inside the head. I tried this and it was really good! It's chewy with a combination of salty and sweet flavors, and a MUST try food when in Nishiki Market!

Tako Tomago
Tako Tamago - Not For The Faint Of Heart 🙂

Snoopy Cha-Ya

One super cute cafe in Nishiki Market is Snoopy Cha-Ya. We did not eat here, but did browse their gift shop and I took a couple of pictures to indicate what kind of food they offer. Just look at how adorable these are!

Snoopy Cha-ya food
snoopy cha-ya food

I would have loved to try the Snoopy omelet or Woodstock curry as seen below!

Snoopy Cha-ya sign

Scenes from Nishiki Market

For a food obsessed person like myself, I was in absolute foodie heaven at Nishiki Market. I could have browsed these shops hour after hour, and day after day. Here are some scenes I captured whilst browsing this market.

seafood snacks including sea urchin
The FRESHEST seafood for snacking on! Including Sea Urchin!
chestnut vendor
Chestnut Vendor...tasting included!
cat bandanas
Cat bandanas

The Chopstick and Dried Beans Challenge

Nishiki Market has some exquisite chopsticks for sale. In fact, chopsticks were one of our must buy souvenirs from Japan, and this is where we bought our chopsticks.

Sea Shell chopsticks
Sea Shell Chopsticks for Sale in Nishiki Market

The vendor challenged my husband to The Chopstick and Dried Beans Challenge. Don't laugh too hard. 🙂

You must take this challenge when visiting Nishiki Market!

Eating at Nishiki Market

There is one extremely important item to note about eating at this market. It is frowned upon and considered bad manners to walk and eat! So although snacks are sold everywhere, you are supposed to stand by the area where you purchased your snack, and consume it there. You can glimpse the sign in the video, along with some more delicacies at the market. 🙂

Dining at Nishiki Market

Tango Table Restaurant
Tango Table Restaurant

After walking and browsing for awhile, we decided to stop for a bite to eat at Tango Table Restaurant. Although there are so many places to eat in Nishiki, this is one of the few sit down and dine inside places in the market. Tango is also a brewery. 🙂

My husband is a craft beer aficionado, so he was happy.

Tango Restaurant Nishiki Market

I enjoyed a pork bun, so I was happy. 🙂

Pork Bun at Tango Restaurant - Nishiki Market

An Experience of a Lifetime!

Visiting Nishiki Market in Kyoto was an experience of a lifetime! It was absolutely incredible to discover new foods at the market. It was clean, the vendors were so friendly, and everywhere were unforgettable sights, sounds, smells, and tastes!

If you visit Japan, you MUST visit this amazing market in Kyoto!

Join Me In This 1,000 Foods Journey!

Please follow along with me on this quest to try the 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, from the book by Mimi Sheraton! Join me in this journey and discover new foods, experiences, and cuisines which I hope will add inspiration, fun, and joy to your life! For a list of the foods tried so far visit the 1,000 Foods to Eat Project page.

Please join me by signing up here. 🙂

Cheers!

Grace

« Spicy Koshari - 1,000 Foods to Eat Project
Simple Moules Marinières »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Sign up so that you never miss the greatest recipes!

About Me

Hi I’m Grace! I'm married and a mom to my fur baby, Toby, and food and travel are two of my greatest passions! Since our bank account does not allow us to travel or eat out as much as we'd like, I decided I would cook delicious meals that could give us a taste of all the places we'd like to go. My goal is to get you in the kitchen, and inspire you to cook and taste delightful meals that will transport you too. Let’s throw some actual travel in from time to time, all with an emphasis on keeping your wallet full and happy as well. Let’s get cooking and let’s start exploring!! I'm excited to be on this journey with you!!

By the way most of these recipes are Toby taste tested and Toby approved!!

Chief Taste Tester Toby

Toby Chief Taste Tester

Recent Posts

  • 51 MUST Try Foods When In Japan!
  • Easy and Spicy Thai Chili Oil Recipe
  • Italian Peas and Ham Frozen Peas Recipe
  • Easy Middle Eastern Chicken With Lemon and Olives Recipe
  • Easy Cajun Crawfish Sauce Recipe

Recent Comments

  • Grace on The BEST and Easiest Korean Bok Choy Kimchi!
  • MsLinda on The BEST and Easiest Korean Bok Choy Kimchi!
  • Grace on Easy and Delicious Connecticut Steamed Cheeseburgers!
  • Shawn on Easy and Delicious Connecticut Steamed Cheeseburgers!
  • Grace on Incredibly Delicious Brussels Sprouts

Archives

Categories

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Footer

Amazon Associates Disclosure

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2023 Explore Cook Eat on the Foodie Pro Theme