Toji Temple Market

 A few photos from our recent trip to the Toji Temple market. This once a month market is not to be missed by tourists! Many tourist goods are sold along side tasty Japanese stall food (like the mochi balls being made in the photo). There was a large asortment of bonsai, house plants, fabric for yukatas, and all kinds of other things. many websites warn you to go early, and they are right! We went around 10am and it was a mad house!

*The market is on the 21st of every month

This is the first time we have see pine nuts for sale at the markets. I'm sure they were not any more cost effective than in the U.S. 

We know what the fox says...Ohaiyo! Samui desu ne! 

Amidst the bustle of the market, temple men walk through the crowds, reminding everyone of why the market is happening. 

Training kids to love pachinko! These antique pachinko machines are for kids to play for prizes. 

bonsai for sale, some of which were in the $150+ range! 

Colorful spray painted succulents for holiday decorations

Ikea Osaka

If you are from the states a visit to Ikea may need to be added to your itinerary. We have been recently spending a lot of time at the Ikea in Osaka as we try to decide on how to furnish the new apartment.

Although pretty similar in setup to other Ikea's, the cafeteria in Osaka is beyond belief! below are a few pictures of the buffet style setup. Some things are as gross as they look, while other dishes were really quite yummy, and the salad bar although simple was great!

There is also a TON of seating and these fabulous little carts to push your multiple trays of food to your table.

Even if you are not hungry, grab a croissant and cup of coffee, just to enjoy the humor of the whole thing.

Tip: When visiting the Ikea Osaka, if you are catching the bus at Osaka station, ask how to get to the right bus stop. It does not stop with the other city and tour buses. The Ikea stop is under a covered area where some taxis also stop. There is a map and time table on their website, It took us 30 minutes to find the bus the first time!

Photos booths in Japan

When you walk around shopping areas in Kyoto, you will see a lot of funny looking photos booths. In the states photos booths are really popular, but very different. In your home country, they may be the same as the states: just a booth with a small camera, and generally pretty dingy. Sometimes at events in the states (weddings, and such) there may be some props provided to hold or wear in your photo. Your photos may come out something like this:

In Japan, not surprisingly the photo booths do so much more than just take a photo. This weekend we had a miserable typhoon hit Kyoto, and we were stuck mainly indoors. The bowling alley we like to go to (next door to the Hub) has a couple photo booths. After minimal amounts of begging, Kev agreed to try a booth with me. We really didn't know what to expect as the outsides look like makeup advertisements. With images of too-much-makeup-wearing, cute girls posing for photos. The inside of the booth looks like a photographer's worse nightmare with a wall of gigantic lights, and a small video/touch screen.

Even if you don't speak any Japanese, you can fumble your way through the directions. When you start seeing numbers flash you know a photo is about to be taken. The screen will give you suggested poses as you take photos, let you pick a color theme, and give you a few other options. Almost every step is timed, so be prepared to think fast. When it asks for your name(s) in Katana, just let the time run out if you don't know Katana and it will move on.

After you take your photos, it will tell you to move out and to another screen. This is where the real magic happens. The booth has a second cubby where you can add all kinds of little graphics, words, and stamps to your photos. Each person gets their own screen, so you can tag team the photos. After adding to your photos, you can go to the print screen on the outside of the box, opt to get digital copies (which you may have to pay for...) and get the printed copies of your photos. Here are the shots from our recent photo booth experience:

Just in case it wasn't obvious, Kev has full length eyebrows, does not wear pink lipstick, and no his eyes are not naturally that large. Mine are naturally pretty big, but definitely not shaped like that. 

 You would never know these gems came out of a machine that looked like this: 

We came, we browsed, we left empty handed...Kamigamo Shrine Market

Probably the only people to leave the market empty handed, the Kamigamo shrine market is vast and for the serious shopper. With vendors selling everything from indian curry to canvas bags and jewelry, this market has it all when it comes to handicrafts. Our leaving empty handed was definitely not due to the lack of quality or options -we just really didn't know what the heck to purchase!

The market was so large (and it was so stinking hot out) that we didn't even manage to make it to the actual shrine for more than a minute. The closest we got was checking out this guy:

For many people the market is a day trip. There were families with tents, people having picnics in the shade, lots of kids and adults playing in the river. Overall this is a great shrine and market if you are just looking for a cool place to chill out for the day.

Although not listed anywhere for this coming month (August), next time it comes around we will be sure to go again!

 A couple photos of the Kamigamo Shrine area:

 One last picture! This is (we think) a dead cicada...They are by far the loudest creature (human or otherwise) in Kyoto right now.