Things have been crazy busy for the past few weeks. Two days after getting back from New York and Connecticut I headed out to Japan for a business trip just getting back this weekend. Even though I was tired, I always make the most of my weekend time when I am in Japan and this trip was no different.
I am a sucker for flea markets and lucked out that the Osu Kannon flea market was being held the Saturday while I was in Nagoya. The market is held on the grounds of the Osu Kannon temple on the 18th and 28th of the month. Since it often falls on weekdays I only ended up being able to go once during the time I was living in Japan, on the day that I was moving back home to the US.
Last Saturday I arrived at Osu Kannon about 8:00 am and it was already bustling. With the temple in the background and trees lining the courtyard the flea market setting is quite pretty. Just about everything under the sun can be found as you walk around the stalls from used modern goods to antiques.
I loved this carved wooden roof ornament but it was enormous so there was no way for me to take it home.
This basket was super cool and I thought it would be great in my laundry room as a hamper but again there was no way for me to possibly take it back with me.
These children's learning blocks with hiragana (Japanese syllabary) were adorable and if I had a little one I would have loved to pick up a set of blocks to spell their name.
These glass light fixture shades were really neat and taking a pair home would have been great but I thought they were too fragile to make it back in my luggage.
Now that I've shared the items that I loved but couldn't buy I'll move on to what I did end up buying to take home. My first purchase was a bamboo vase that has a copper lining so that you can put flowers in it. It was a little scuffed so I talked the seller down from ¥500 to ¥300 (about $3 US).
Next were a set of mid-century glass Japanese baby bottles from Kobe. I already have an antique Japanese milk bottle with red writing on it and I thought these would be a cool companion to it.
Ever since I got my first SLR I have been a Canon camera lover so when I saw this old Canon camera with a leather case I had to get it, especially since I was able to talk the seller down to ¥800 (about $8 US).
I also bought one of these large Japanese spools called itomaki (糸巻き). I have several already and love using them as stands to display items in my house.
My final purchase was a small flat handwoven basket that I thought would be cute for the house.
Overall, I am super happy with my Osu Kannon purchases and can't wait to find homes for my new treasures.
Although my favorite flea market in Japan, the To-ji Flea Market (held in Kyoto on the first Sunday of each month), is much bigger, if you are in Nagoya on the 18th or 28th of the month I would definitely recommend a trip to the Osu Kannon flea market.
To get to the flea market take the subway to the Osu Kannon station (on the Tsuramsi line). Leave out of Exit 2 and continue walking on the street, turning left at the Seven Eleven convenience store. The flea market is on the temple grounds right ahead.
