Nishiki Ichiba Market, Kyoto

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Kyoto was founded in 794 as the capital of Japan. It was laid out on a grid with an east and west market area. The east market has changed a bit over the past 1,300 years. Now the shopping street is covered with a skylight, but the shops are still small and the service is still very personal. Steve loves Japanese pickles and they come in the most amazing variety. There are displayed in the traditional wooden barrels and it's still hard to decide which ones to buy. Fish, meat, fruits, vegetables, flowers, everything is displayed beautifully. There's even a great knife shop where they'll engrave the knife with a person's name - in Japanese. The prize for the shop with the best aromas was the tea roaster. It was heavely and Helen lingered to enjoy the toasty, nutty scents. This pickle shop was quite large with helpful young ladies who attracted many customers. You could watch them package your pickles after you enjoyed a sample or two. At the east end of the market is a branch of the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, right beyond the discount clothes store. It's a quiet oasis in a bustling area. This family entered then stopped at the fountain to purify their hands and mouth. Little Sister seems to be asking Big Brother for advice. There were fortune telling machines with mechanical dolls. When you put in your money, the dolls moved and twirled around, then dispensed your fortune. We only got a medium good one from the priest behind the tiny torii gate. The mechanical dolls were very popular with the littlest visitors. Here Mom reads the fortune to her son. We hope that he got one of the great good fortunes.