When I told my coworkers that my Friday plans included going to Boroichi, I was met with blank stares. One or two people had sort of vaguely maybe heard of it. Most people had to google it themselves, quickly whipping out their phones behind the counter while no one else was looking.
Boroichi (bless you) is a massive semi-annual flea market held every year in Setagaya on December 15-16 and again in January. It's known for its cheap prices and massive crowds--apparently over 200,000 people will come each year, crowding the narrow streets around the Setagaya and Kamimachi stations, on the hunt for a bargain. Fun fact: the word "boroboro" in Japanese is an onomatopoeia for "worn out" or "raggedy," and "ichi" is another word for market, so Boroichi (ボロ市) is a market for worn-out things.
I met up with Troy and his mom around 10:15am and already the crowds were intense. Stalls lined both sides of the street and you really had to fight for a viewing spot. Maybe it's a bit of a stereotype, but in general people in Japan are super polite and courteous when lining up for things EXCEPT when it comes to
1. Grabbing a seat on a crowded train and
2. Things on sale.
I swear, I was body-slammed aside by cute little old grandmas about 2/3 my height. In fact, when trying to walk through the crowds, the most efficient thing to do was just follow in the wake of a determined old lady, like this one:
The first thing we spotted, on the edge of the market, was a stand selling amazake (literally "sweet sake"). Imagine you took really liquidy rice pudding, little bits of rice included, and made it slightly alcoholic. That's essentially amazake.
Here we are, with our murky paper cups of amazake. I confess that it really, really wasn't for me, so I took a few sips and then ended up dumping the rest into an empty plastic bottle I had and then throwing it away somewhere the stall owner couldn't see.
Otherwise, Boroichi was a general treasure trove of interesting stuff. Lots of the 700+ stalls featured fabrics--old kimonos and bolts of silk or leather. Others had more eclectic items:
Boroichi is, in my opinion, a great place to play I-Spy.
One stand was selling pre-war textbooks for 300 yen each.
Clearly they are still being used for education by today's Japanese youth!
Of course, a day of meandering and shopping wouldn't be complete without a purchase or two of my own:
Two pieces of art! The one on the left is a "kiri-e" by an artist named Ishida Yosuke. It looks like a woodblock print, but it's actually cut paper. And the one on the right I just bought because I liked the little owl-shaped thing the two girls were holding and it was only 500 yen. A veritable steal, and a great way to welcome in the holiday season here in Japan.
Boroichi (bless you) is a massive semi-annual flea market held every year in Setagaya on December 15-16 and again in January. It's known for its cheap prices and massive crowds--apparently over 200,000 people will come each year, crowding the narrow streets around the Setagaya and Kamimachi stations, on the hunt for a bargain. Fun fact: the word "boroboro" in Japanese is an onomatopoeia for "worn out" or "raggedy," and "ichi" is another word for market, so Boroichi (ボロ市) is a market for worn-out things.
I met up with Troy and his mom around 10:15am and already the crowds were intense. Stalls lined both sides of the street and you really had to fight for a viewing spot. Maybe it's a bit of a stereotype, but in general people in Japan are super polite and courteous when lining up for things EXCEPT when it comes to
1. Grabbing a seat on a crowded train and
2. Things on sale.
I swear, I was body-slammed aside by cute little old grandmas about 2/3 my height. In fact, when trying to walk through the crowds, the most efficient thing to do was just follow in the wake of a determined old lady, like this one:
The first thing we spotted, on the edge of the market, was a stand selling amazake (literally "sweet sake"). Imagine you took really liquidy rice pudding, little bits of rice included, and made it slightly alcoholic. That's essentially amazake.
Here we are, with our murky paper cups of amazake. I confess that it really, really wasn't for me, so I took a few sips and then ended up dumping the rest into an empty plastic bottle I had and then throwing it away somewhere the stall owner couldn't see.
Otherwise, Boroichi was a general treasure trove of interesting stuff. Lots of the 700+ stalls featured fabrics--old kimonos and bolts of silk or leather. Others had more eclectic items:
Boroichi is, in my opinion, a great place to play I-Spy.
One stand was selling pre-war textbooks for 300 yen each.
Clearly they are still being used for education by today's Japanese youth!
Of course, a day of meandering and shopping wouldn't be complete without a purchase or two of my own:
Two pieces of art! The one on the left is a "kiri-e" by an artist named Ishida Yosuke. It looks like a woodblock print, but it's actually cut paper. And the one on the right I just bought because I liked the little owl-shaped thing the two girls were holding and it was only 500 yen. A veritable steal, and a great way to welcome in the holiday season here in Japan.
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