Nishiki Market Shopping District

Nishiki Market is known as Kyoto's kitchen and is affectionately called ”Nishiki” by local residents. The market sells a variety of food products including seasonal ingredients and vegetables unique to Kyoto, yuba (tofu skin), eel, dried foods, sushi, tofu, desserts, and obanzai (traditional Kyoto-style dishes). Over 130 stores line the market today. Professional chefs come to shop in the morning and locals arrive during the afternoon to prepare for dinner. The market also attracts visitors from across Japan and the world who are looking to buy Kyoto specialties, making it a bustling destination all day long. Situated near the center of the city, the market extends approximately 390 meters along Nishikikoji-dori, located a street north of Kyoto's main street, Shijo-dori, from Teramachi-dori to Takakura-dori. The market has a long history and is said to have started in the 8th century as a wholesale fish market. It has provided for the people of Kyoto from the Heian Period to the present and is worthy of being called Kyoto's kitchen.

・The colorful arcade roof is a symbol of Nishiki Market
A vibrant arcade roof consisting of red, green and yellow glass panels covers the 390-meter long Nishiki Market. Sunlight filters through the roof to give the market a soft, warm glow. The glass ceiling was completed in 1993 and has become symbolic of Nishiki Market. There are decorative ceiling paintings at five crossings that feature the food culture in Kyoto throughout the four seasons.

・A painter, Jakuchu Ito, invigorated Nishiki Market during the Edo Period
Jakuchu Ito (1716–1800) was a famous painter during the Edo Period and is well-known for his unique methods of expression and elaborate illustrations. Known as one of the ”eccentric painters” of the time who blended realism with fantasy, Jakuchu's family home was a greengrocer located along Nishikikoji. Having grown up surrounded by vegetables, one of his paintings is a unique work titled ”Yasai Nehan” (Vegetable Nirvana). Recently discovered documents reveal that, he was working on acquiring business permits for Nishiki Market as the owner of the greengrocer. It shows that he was also a businessman and one of the many merchants dedicated to running the market. Today, visitors can see banners and tapestries featuring Jakuchu motifs all over the market.

・Abundant groundwater functioned as a refrigerator to keep food products fresh
An abundant amount of groundwater has flown beneath Nishiki Market for centuries. It is said that this groundwater was used like a refrigerator, which provided an ideal environment for selling fish. By the 1600s, the wholesale fish market was given the name ”Nishiki no Tana” (Nishiki Store) by the Bakufu government and it prospered as a market that was permitted to present fresh fish to the Imperial Court, shrines, and temples.