Kyoto Local Recycle Shops: A Secondhand Treasure Hunt Away From the Chains
A hunter's guide to Kyoto's local secondhand recycle shops - 19 neighbourhood stores away from the big chains, what turns up, where they are, and how to shop them.
Location
Travel destinations in Japan, organized by region.
Aozora Ichiba: Cheap Kawaguchiko Fruit & Veg at Fuji’s Foot
Aozora Ichiba is a super-cheap open-air greengrocer on Lake Kawaguchi's north shore - bargain fruit and veg near Mt Fuji, with prices, hours, access and the honest catch.
Minatoan Konandai: Yokohama Soba, 1kg for the Price of a Bowl
Minatoan Konandai in Yokohama serves a roughly 1kg Fujisan-mori soba for the same price as a regular bowl. A 50-year chain with freshly cut noodles - menu, hours, access.
Kinomiya Kenko Pan: Atami’s Kogashi Manju by Kinomiya Shrine
Kinomiya Kenko Pan in Atami makes kogashi manju, a roasted-barley steamed bun sold as a Kinomiya Shrine specialty. What it is, the shop's hours and how to visit.
Okashinoie Noe: A 1975 Cake Shop & Café in Nerima, Tokyo
A long-running cake shop and cafe in Nerima's Shakujii, baking fresh cakes, baumkuchen, leaf pie and chocolates since 1975 — with hours, parking and how to visit.
Farmers Gotemba: A JA Farm Market (and New Fish Counter) at Mt. Fuji’s Foot
Farmers Gotemba, the JA Fuji-Izu farm market at the foot of Mt. Fuji: highland vegetables, Shizuoka wagyu, Koshihikari rice, local flowers and a new fresh-fish counter.
Toraya Kobo, Gotemba: Wagashi and Tea in a Forest at the Foot of Mt. Fuji
Toraya Kobo is the famous wagashi house's forest workshop-cafe in Gotemba, at the foot of Mt. Fuji - a thatched gate, a bamboo garden, and freshly made seasonal sweets with tea.
Hard Off & Off House Hachioji Owada: A Giant Reuse Treasure Hunt in West Tokyo
Inside the Hard Off, Off House and Hobby Off reuse complex in Hachioji, western Tokyo - a secondhand treasure hunt with old kimono, Showa retro, ceramics, folk crafts and 600-plus guitars.
The Best-Preserved Post Towns (Shukuba) in Japan
A guide to Japan best-preserved post towns (shukuba-machi): Magome, Tsumago, Narai, Unno, Seki, Kumagawa and Ouchi. How they compare, which to choose and how to visit them well.
Kumagawa-juku, Fukui: A Post Town on the Mackerel Road to Kyoto
Kumagawa-juku in Wakasa, Fukui is the key post town on the Saba Kaido Mackerel Road to Kyoto, with a clear water channel down the whole street. What to see, how to get there and when to go.
Field notes, weekly
One email a week. The Japan worth planning around.