Kansai Independent Travel | Kyoto Attractions | Nishiki Market | Kyoto's Historic Kitchen | Experience Local Food and History | Must-Eat Treats and Souvenirs
Nishiki Market in Kyoto has a very long history. A market began to take shape in this area as early as the Heian period, and in 1615 Nishiki Market became one of the three fish wholesalers officially authorized by the Edo shogunate in Kyoto — the beginning of Nishiki as a fully fledged fish market, a tradition that continues to this day.
Our accommodation on this trip happened to be right across from Nishiki Market (Further reading: Hotel Forza Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi), so we picked one day around noon to come and stroll around and sample some of the market's food.
📜 Information
- Address: Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8055
- Opening hours: shops open gradually from around 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., until sold out
- Official website: https://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/
📍 Location, Access and Shop Map
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| The entrance on Takakura-dori |
Location and Access
Nishiki Market is a traditional shopping street running between Teramachi-dori and Takakura-dori. You can take the subway to Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station or Karasuma Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line; both are within a 5-minute walk, so access is very convenient.
Nishiki Market Map
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| from: https://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/map/ |
🍽️ Shops in Nishiki Market
Nishiki Market is often called "Kyoto's Kitchen." There are more than one hundred shops and stalls here selling all kinds of fresh ingredients, seafood, prepared foods, Japanese specialty goods, handicrafts and more — an ideal spot for both tourists and locals to hunt for good food and unique items.
Miki Keiran
In Kyoto's Nishiki Market, two tamagoyaki shops — Tanaka Keiran and Miki Keiran — are especially famous, and both have their loyal fans. This time we chose to try Miki Keiran's tamagoyaki. Founded in 1938, Miki Keiran has more than 90 years of history. Its tamagoyaki is made with a broth carefully simmered from Nishiki's groundwater, Rishiri kombu and carefully selected dried bonito flakes, giving the omelet a richer aroma and flavor.
- Address: 182 Higashiuoyacho, Nishikikoji-dori Tominokoji Nishi-iru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Opening hours:
- Weekdays: 09:00 - 16:30
- Weekends/holidays: 09:00 - 17:00
- Closed: none
- Official page: https://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/stores/mikikeiran/
At Miki Keiran, tamagoyaki is an absolute must. The signature dashimaki tamago has a dense, silky texture; besides the full aroma of egg, there's also the fragrance of the dashi broth. I quite liked it. The only pity was that Kyoto was very cold during those days, so the tamagoyaki was served cold. (I later saw someone mention that Tanaka Keiran will heat it up for you.)
Nishiki Uoriki
Founded in 1919, Nishiki Uoriki is a restaurant specializing in grilled fish, with sea bream and conger eel (hamo) as its signature offerings. In front of the shop you'll find all sorts of seafood skewers, grilled or deep-fried, so you can see at a glance what you'd like to eat.
- Address: Nishikikoji-dori Tominokoji Nishi-iru, north side, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Opening hours: 10:00 - 18:00
- Closed: irregular
- Official page: https://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/stores/uoriki/
Inumaeya
Inumaeya is not one of Nishiki Market's long-established shops. This yakitori-style grill specializing in chicken and beef skewers only opened in spring 2023 — it can't even be found on Google Maps yet. It's on the same side as Nishiki Uoriki above, not far away.
- Address: 171 Higashiuoyacho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Opening hours: 10:00 - 19:00
- Closed: none
- Official page: https://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/stores/inumaeya/
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| There's also a seating area inside, so you can order your skewers and enjoy them at a table |
The skewers were pretty tasty — the chicken was grilled nice and juicy, and with the sauce the overall showing was quite good. The wagyu skewer was very tender too, though the portion was a little small and one skewer costs ¥1,800, so it's relatively poor value.
Also, the smell of cooking smoke inside is fairly strong; if you sit inside to eat, before long you'll be covered in the smell of grilled meat.
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| Grilled chicken skewer ¥700 |
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| Grilled wagyu skewer ¥1,800 |
Matcha Sweets Hall Sawawa
There are several shops in Nishiki Market specializing in matcha products. Sawawa focuses on Uji matcha: the first floor sells all kinds of matcha sweets and souvenirs, while the second floor is a café that, besides matcha, also offers warabi mochi, parfaits, sweet red bean treats and more.
Since we wanted somewhere to rest for a bit, we chose the second-floor café at Sawawa and ordered a matcha to try.
- Address: 498-1 Nakaoyacho, Nishikikoji-dori Takakura Higashi-iru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Opening hours:
- 1F: 10:00 - 18:00
- 2F: 10:30 - 17:30
- Closed: none
- Official page: https://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/stores/sawawa/
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| A solid, by-the-book matcha |
Hamohide Nishiki Main Store
Opened in 2017, "Hamohide" focuses on shrimp dishes. Here you can choose from all kinds of shrimp and grilled prawns, and there's also a seating area where you can pair them with a few varieties of sake.
- Address: 504 Nakauoyacho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Opening hours:
- Weekdays: 11:00 - 18:00
- Weekends/holidays: 10:00 - 18:00
- Closed: Mondays
- Official page: https://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/stores/hamohide/
Kyo Tsukemono Nishiri Nishiki Store
Kyo Tsukemono is a specialty shop dealing mainly in Japanese pickles.
- Address: 508 Nakaoyacho, Nishikikoji Takakura-dori Nishi-iru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Opening hours: 09:00 - 18:00
- Closed: none
- Official page: https://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/stores/nishiri/
Konna Monja (soy milk doughnuts)
This popular Fujino soy milk doughnut shop in Nishiki Market opened about 30 years ago and is a branch of "Kyoto Fujino," which has been operating near Kitano Tenmangu for nearly 60 years. Several online write-ups say there are long queues and it's worth a try, though on both of our visits to Nishiki Market the crowds weren't too bad.
- Address: Northwest corner of Nishikikoji-dori and Sakaimachi, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Opening hours: 10:00 - 18:00
- Closed: none
- Official page: https://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/stores/konnamonja/
Nishiki Market is a lively, colorful place steeped in history, perfect for visitors who want to experience and savor Kyoto's culture and cuisine. You can find plenty of local foods here and soak up the atmosphere of an old market full of Kyoto character — I'd definitely recommend a visit.
As for which shops are in the market, the official Nishiki Market website is actually very well made, with very clear information. You can check it out here:
https://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/stores/
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