Nishiki Market Food Crawl: Go Light, Eat More
Updated: Oct 22
Nishiki Market is a 400-meter covered arcade running parallel to Shijo Street in central Kyoto. It has been a food market since the 17th century, and today it is one of the best places in Japan to eat while walking, provided you can actually move freely through it.
The market is narrow. Many of the best stalls require you to stop, point at something, and use both hands to eat it. This is not an experience that works well with luggage. Here is how to do the Nishiki Market food crawl the right way: go light.
What to Eat at Nishiki Market
Kyoto-Style Pickles (Tsukemono)
Nishiki is famous for its pickled vegetables, a popular market souvenir. Vendors offer samples freely and the range is extraordinary: salty, sweet, spicy, fermented. Buy a pack to take with you or just taste your way through.
Grilled Skewers
Several stalls grill skewers to order. Chicken, tofu, octopus, and seasonal seafood. These are the foods the market does best: small, warm, meant to be eaten standing at the stall. Both hands are required.
Tofu Donuts and Yuba
Kyoto cuisine is built on tofu and yuba (tofu skin), and Nishiki has dedicated stalls for both. The tofu donuts are light, subtly flavored and nothing like their Western equivalents. They are worth stopping for.
Tamagoyaki (Japanese Omelette)
Thick, sweet rolled omelette on a skewer is a Kyoto specialty and a Nishiki staple. Watch it being made at the stall if you can find an open spot.
How to Move Through the Market
Nishiki runs east to west, with the eastern entrance near Teramachi Street and the western end opening onto Nishiki Koji. Walking the full length takes about 20 minutes if you are moving. It takes much longer if you are stopping, tasting, and browsing.
The arcade is wide enough for perhaps three people abreast. With a rolling suitcase, you are taking up the space of two people and creating a moving obstacle for everyone behind you. On a busy mid-morning, this becomes genuinely difficult.
Arrive at Nishiki Without Your Bags
If you are moving accommodations on the day you visit Nishiki, arrange for your luggage to be delivered by KOMATSU before you head to the market. Same-day delivery starts from 900 yen per bag. Your bags travel across Kyoto while you eat your way through it.
Getting to Nishiki Market
Nishiki Market is a 5-minute walk from Shijo-Kawaramachi, one of Kyoto's main intersections and a hub for several bus lines. From Kyoto Station, take the subway to Shijo Station on the Karasuma Line, then walk east for about 10 minutes.
Where to Stay Near Nishiki Market
The central Kawaramachi and Shijo areas have a good selection of hotels within walking distance of the market, Gion, and the Kamo River. Staying centrally gives you easy access to all of Kyoto's main neighborhoods on foot.
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Eat More, Carry Less
KOMATSU delivers luggage across Kyoto the same day. Book online before your market morning.
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