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The Asaichi Morning Market

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Composthp
Composthp
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
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Asa-Ichi (Morning Market)

  • May 25, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Composthp from Singapore, Singapore
Asa-Ichi (Morning Market)

The morning markets at Takayama Jinya and Miyagawa are popular among visitors and locals. From 7am to noon, nearby farmers’ wives bring in their fresh produce for sale here. The markets originated from the Edo period but grew popular during the Meiji period 100 years ago. We visited the morning market situated along the banks of the river Miyagawa, just a 10 minutes walk from the JR Takayama station.

The make-shift stalls sold farm produce of the season, from fresh milk to freshly picked strawberries and apples to home made pickles, magnolia miso paste (local specialties) and fresh wasabi. We were soon feeling hungry again even after the scrumptious breakfast at the Hida Inn Muhyukon. There were also local crafts and handmade trinkets designed to catch the eye of tourists. We were soon munching our way from stall to stall, enjoying the carnival-like atmosphere.

It was obvious that the farmers took great pride in their products. We stopped to admire the local apples sold at one stall. The farmer showed off her apple-peeling skills; well actually, she used an apple peeler, a clever contraption that involved sticking the apple to a stick and turning a handle. The apple was peeled, cored, and sliced within seconds. No words were spoken but we were already contemplating whether to buy the apple andthe apple-peeler contraption (which was sold separately). Now, that’s salesmanship. We were impressed.

Another stall manned by a wizened lady attracted my attention. She was selling 7-flavoured spices usually added into soba or ramen for that extra kick. Customers can choose in what proportion the spices are added, and for an extra charge, the choice of the container (versus a transparent plastic bag). Although I could have easily bought this for half the price at any convenience store in Japan, or at home for that matter, I could not resist the fragrance of the spices wafting from her stall. After placing my order with her, she mixed the spices with such flourish that we could not help but applaud. With a mischievous grin, she threw in an extra heaped spoonful of chilli powder into the mix and added a smaller bag of pre-mixed spices together with my order. "Service" she said to me. We laughed and left her with a huge grin on our faces.

Everything was interesting to us "city" folks. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and left with our stomach full till bursting and our spirits high.

From journal Searching for Fuji-san and sakura: Central Japan

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