For my second trip in Japan, one of my objectives was to visit flea markets, antique markets and craft fairs. I love flea market, especially when I visit a foreign country, because they’re an opportunity to find a very unique souvenir without encouraging cheap mass-product souvenirs.

In this post, I’ll share all craft markets, flea markets and antique markets I visited in Japan. I’ll also update it with new addresses in the future, so don’t hesitate to save it for later!

🔖 This article is regularly updated, save it for later!

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Tokyo: Oedo Antique Market at Tokyo International forum

Tokyo International Forum hosts various events likes conferences and other professional events, but also offers a variety of restaurants, shops and food trucks, hosts music festivals… They also have other flea and antique markets than this one.

We spent about two hours at the antique market, even though many things didn’t correspond to what we were looking for. There are many kimono stalls, some very cheap, but also home decoration (statues, frames…), collectors’ items, craft tableware… A few sellers also had kimono fabric scraps for purchase, which is very interesting for crafting.

We were looking for tableware more than anything, but very little was to our taste, and part of it was very pricy. Only when we reached the end of the market (opposite to the station) did we find what we were looking for.

Our advice if you’re looking for tableware for actual use (not for collection) is to go straight to the end of the market, opposite the subway station. This is where we found affordable tableware to our liking, and it was way less crowded over there!

This antique market is quite touristy, especially around kimono stalls where it was barely possible to have a look, although we were there for opening. Note that it’s an open air market, so my guess is that you can go earlier than the official opening time to avoid part of the crowds…

What we found: a small slightly chipped sake bottle that we’ll use as a single flower vase (¥250), craft tea cups (¥2.000 for the orange one, ¥1.500 for the brown/orange pair), a bag of kimono fabric scraps (¥500). (The black cup if just from a shop in Kappabashi.)

Tokyo (Nakano): Nakano Central Park mottanai flea market

This flea market organized at Nakano Central Park is a flea market where private sellers, mostly, come to get rid of what they’re not using anymore, like clothes, toys, books, home equipment… You can still find Western import stalls, but the objects are super pricy and often in a very bad state.

''Mottanai'' is a Japanese concept expressing the feeling of regret about wasted items. Tokyo Recycling Citizen's Association, which organizes this flea market, is fighting waste and encouraging the development of a second hand market.

This flea market was way less touristy that the one in Tokyo International Forum (maybe because of the location, maybe because what you find there is really different from one time to another, maybe because that’s not the place to find kimono…)

Fun fact: on the day we went, there was a small gourmet festival in the park across the street.

What we found: a thick checked shirt for him (¥1.200) and a very stylish jeans jacket for me (¥2.000), both in mint condition.

Kyoto: handicraft market at Hyakumanben Chionji temple

  • Websites:
  • Public transportation: Asukaicho bus stop (206, 65 lines) 250 meters away, or Hyakumanben (7, 203 lines) 400 meters away (alternative with the train: Demachiyanagi station with the Keihan line, ten minutes walking)
  • Sellers types: professional
  • What you’ll find: local handicraft, food (breads, coffee/tea, biscuits, spices, fermented foods…) and items (bags and pouches, jewels, home decoration, clothes, tableware, soaps…). À few shops have beverages (tea, coffee…) and pastries for consumption on site.

This is a big handicraft market where local artists, creators and artisan producers sell a wide range of items and products. Very known to the locals, it’s also very touristy (as you can tell from the many board with English information and the amount of sellers who accept card payments). However, I found it very interesting regarding what they offer, and I think prices were ok. Just so you know, it’s much bigger than it looks on pictures.

Good to know: this market can happen any day of the week because it’s organized on the 15th of every month.

What I found: a marker/pen case (¥2.000) and a hand bag (¥4.500). Yeah, they have A LOT of items with cats…

Good to know: products are handcrafted, however for textiles the fabrics probably come from haberdashers’ shops, which means you might find several articles with similar or exact same patterns at different stalls! If you love a pattern but don’t like the model, don’t stop just yet and keep having a look.

Also check this blog post about Chion-ji handicraft market

A place to eat next to Hyakumanben Chionji

We found a really nice ramen shop, Soudai Men-ya Akutagawa, a few steps away from the handicraft market, with generous servings and a tasty broth. (遍ビル, 1階, 京都市左京区田中門前町７３ 百万 / 73 Tanaka Monzencho, Kyoto)

Kyoto: Le Marché at Institut franco-japonais du Kansai (French-Japanese institute of Kansai)

  • Websites:
  • Public transportation: Keihan Demachiyanagi train station, 10 minutes walking
  • Sellers type: professional
  • What you’ll find: most of the stalls sell food, to have on site or to bring home (wine, coffee, tea, biscuits, pastry, dry food, jars, candies, French gastronomy…), but there are also a few other stuff like jewels, home decoration… There’s a very typical French-like spot with open air tables and chairs, and a little scene for musicians, where you can eat and drink.

This market is especially interesting to grab a bite, but the food served there is very influenced by French gastronomy, so I wouldn’t recommend going there if you’re coming from Central Europe for example… (except if you really miss home a lot). This is also one of the very few places in Japan where you’ll have the opportunity to speak French, if that’s of interest to you…

It’s frankly not very touristy nor crowded, very chill in fact, so I would save it for a break during a busy day, or if you need to take a break.

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We grabbed a few bites there but did not buy anything else.

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