Visited 23.11.2014 (Sun)
Pasar Pagi. Whenever I visit my grandmother in Gemencheh (a small town in Negri Sembilan, Malaysia) over a weekend, Pasar Pagi (means morning market) which are held on Sundays, is one place we will head down to after breakfast. I am always roused by the high energy levels of locals bustling throughout the entire stretch of road lined with makeshift stalls selling fresh produce, cooked food, etc. Even though we went home empty handed most of the time, participating in this routine morning activity brings me closer to the local culture/way of life. Therefore, I was intrigued to visit Kochi's version of morning market upon hearing about it. To meet this objective, I made plans to return back to Kochi city on a Saturday in order to visit the morning market on the following day.
Good morning Kochi! After our breakfast at 7 Days Hotel, we did a leisure stroll to Otesuji (追手筋) where Nichiyobi shi is held. A 1.3 km long road from Otesuji 1-chome to Otemon of Kochi Castle is cordoned off and about 430 stalls lined both sides of the road every Sunday. Felt like a child all over again; excited and fascinated by the huge variety of goods on sale; lots of crisp greens, neatly arranged juicy fruits, surprisingly fragrant preserved/dried goods, fresh fishes, colourful potted plants, daily necessities and list goes on. Along the way, high spirited stall owners would exchange greetings with patrons, shout out catchy slogans to promote the products that they were selling. Keep a lookout for snack stalls selling Kochi's very own aisukurin アイスクリン (not the same katakana for ice-cream アイスクリーム) which tastes closer to flavoured shaved ice, freshly fried imoten いも天 (sweet potatoes), piping hot steamed buns, freshly squeezed yuzu drinks and many many more. Stopped by the stalls every now and then, curious to see what was in store, with hands full of snacks even though I was still full from breakfast. There were also many occasions when we contemplated grabbing some vegetables/fruits back home because they all looked so fresh and good. Eventually my parents could not resist the temptation and lug back a big bag of sweet potatoes! Though it proved to be feat for us as we had to carry the bulky bag from the market to our next two attractions (Anpanman Museum and Kochi Castle) before returning to hotel to retrieve our luggage, my parents gave their proud thumbs up for the taste. If you are visiting Kochi city on a Sunday, you should not give this a miss!
Let's visit the markets everyday!
In fact, there are equivalent makeshift markets but much smaller in scale held on other days at different locations in Kochi city.
- Tuesdays (火曜市): held along Kamimachi 4-chome to 5-chome (上町４丁目・５丁目).
Operating hours: 0600 hrs to 1 hour before sunset
How to get there? Take Tosaden streetcar and alight at Kamimachi 4 chome station (上町４丁目駅).
- Thursdays (木曜市): held in front of Kochi city Government Building (高知県庁前).
Operating hours: Sunrise to 1 hour before sunset
How to get there? Take Tosaden streetcar and alight at Kencho mae station (県庁前駅).
- Fridays (金曜市): held along Atagomachi 1-chome (愛宕町１丁目).
Operating hours: Sunrise to 1 hour before sunset
How to get there? Approx 15 mins walk from Kochi JR Station.
Website (in Japanese): http://www.city.kochi.kochi.jp/soshiki/40/gairoitigaid.html
- Saturdays: Organic Market (オーガニックマーケット), first started in 2008, is held at Ike Koen (池公園). Got to know about this market from the owner of Terzo Tempo.
Operating hours: 0800 - 1400 hrs on Saturdays
How to get there? At Kochi JR Station, board MY Yu Bus (MY遊バス) heading for Katsurahama and alight at Sumiyoshi ike mae (住吉池前).
Website (in Japanese): http://kochiom.web.fc2.com/info.html
MY Yu Bus: https://www.attaka.or.jp/kanko/kotsu_mybus.php
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Nichiyoubi shi (Sunday Market) 日曜市
Operating hours: 0500 - 1800 hrs on Sundays
Market starts from Otesuji (追手筋) 1-chome and ends at Otemon (追手門) of Kochi Castle.
http://www.city.kochi.kochi.jp/soshiki/39/nichiyouichi.html
How to get there?
(1) By foot. 10 - 15 minutes walk from Kochi JR Station.
(2) By streetcar. Alight at Hasuikemachidori Station 蓮池町通駅; Otesuji 1-chome (追手筋) is less than 5 minutes walk away.
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Pasar Pagi. Whenever I visit my grandmother in Gemencheh (a small town in Negri Sembilan, Malaysia) over a weekend, Pasar Pagi (means morning market) which are held on Sundays, is one place we will head down to after breakfast. I am always roused by the high energy levels of locals bustling throughout the entire stretch of road lined with makeshift stalls selling fresh produce, cooked food, etc. Even though we went home empty handed most of the time, participating in this routine morning activity brings me closer to the local culture/way of life. Therefore, I was intrigued to visit Kochi's version of morning market upon hearing about it. To meet this objective, I made plans to return back to Kochi city on a Saturday in order to visit the morning market on the following day.
Good morning Kochi! After our breakfast at 7 Days Hotel, we did a leisure stroll to Otesuji (追手筋) where Nichiyobi shi is held. A 1.3 km long road from Otesuji 1-chome to Otemon of Kochi Castle is cordoned off and about 430 stalls lined both sides of the road every Sunday. Felt like a child all over again; excited and fascinated by the huge variety of goods on sale; lots of crisp greens, neatly arranged juicy fruits, surprisingly fragrant preserved/dried goods, fresh fishes, colourful potted plants, daily necessities and list goes on. Along the way, high spirited stall owners would exchange greetings with patrons, shout out catchy slogans to promote the products that they were selling. Keep a lookout for snack stalls selling Kochi's very own aisukurin アイスクリン (not the same katakana for ice-cream アイスクリーム) which tastes closer to flavoured shaved ice, freshly fried imoten いも天 (sweet potatoes), piping hot steamed buns, freshly squeezed yuzu drinks and many many more. Stopped by the stalls every now and then, curious to see what was in store, with hands full of snacks even though I was still full from breakfast. There were also many occasions when we contemplated grabbing some vegetables/fruits back home because they all looked so fresh and good. Eventually my parents could not resist the temptation and lug back a big bag of sweet potatoes! Though it proved to be feat for us as we had to carry the bulky bag from the market to our next two attractions (Anpanman Museum and Kochi Castle) before returning to hotel to retrieve our luggage, my parents gave their proud thumbs up for the taste. If you are visiting Kochi city on a Sunday, you should not give this a miss!
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| Have to try fried sweet potatoes (imoten), a soul food for the locals here in Kochi. |
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| Sakamoto Ryoma vs Anpanman! |
In fact, there are equivalent makeshift markets but much smaller in scale held on other days at different locations in Kochi city.
- Tuesdays (火曜市): held along Kamimachi 4-chome to 5-chome (上町４丁目・５丁目).
Operating hours: 0600 hrs to 1 hour before sunset
How to get there? Take Tosaden streetcar and alight at Kamimachi 4 chome station (上町４丁目駅).
- Thursdays (木曜市): held in front of Kochi city Government Building (高知県庁前).
Operating hours: Sunrise to 1 hour before sunset
How to get there? Take Tosaden streetcar and alight at Kencho mae station (県庁前駅).
- Fridays (金曜市): held along Atagomachi 1-chome (愛宕町１丁目).
Operating hours: Sunrise to 1 hour before sunset
How to get there? Approx 15 mins walk from Kochi JR Station.
Website (in Japanese): http://www.city.kochi.kochi.jp/soshiki/40/gairoitigaid.html
- Saturdays: Organic Market (オーガニックマーケット), first started in 2008, is held at Ike Koen (池公園). Got to know about this market from the owner of Terzo Tempo.
Operating hours: 0800 - 1400 hrs on Saturdays
How to get there? At Kochi JR Station, board MY Yu Bus (MY遊バス) heading for Katsurahama and alight at Sumiyoshi ike mae (住吉池前).
Website (in Japanese): http://kochiom.web.fc2.com/info.html
MY Yu Bus: https://www.attaka.or.jp/kanko/kotsu_mybus.php
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Nichiyoubi shi (Sunday Market) 日曜市
Operating hours: 0500 - 1800 hrs on Sundays
Market starts from Otesuji (追手筋) 1-chome and ends at Otemon (追手門) of Kochi Castle.
http://www.city.kochi.kochi.jp/soshiki/39/nichiyouichi.html
How to get there?
(1) By foot. 10 - 15 minutes walk from Kochi JR Station.
(2) By streetcar. Alight at Hasuikemachidori Station 蓮池町通駅; Otesuji 1-chome (追手筋) is less than 5 minutes walk away.
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Video. Fast forward to 2:20 for Go Go Japan's feature on Nichiyoubi shi.
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