Fun At Tennoji
December 24, 2007
Last Friday I get a call from Thomas with an invite to the monthly flea market at Shitennoji. Being one for randomness, how could I refuse?
As one can expect from a flea market, you only had old people rummaging through bins for discounted items that only the feebleminded could get excited about. Grandmas at the least in their 70s forgot their back problems and bent down to find cheap shoes. We even saw an old lady get out of her electric wheelchair to go search through a bin of clothes. Flea markets can perform miracles.
What was different from flea markets was the kind of items you can buy. Of course there were old cultural items that essentially can only be found in Japan but also there were many collectibles, more than what I’ve seen back in Canada. Prices were fairly good as well. A lot of stuff was actually worth buying if you didn’t mind crud-covered goods. There were many food-stands that sold really delicious-looking food for very cheap.
Polly Scary Doll
I almost felt bad for not buying anything at all. Unfortunately I didn’t find anything that I absolutely must have – the closest thing was a bowling pin with a clock in it. What household can go without a bowling pin clock?
Why not buy a tombstone?
After that Thomas and I parted ways and having the rest of the day, I decided to stroll through Tennoji and the weird Shinseki area (reputably very dangerous but it’s no more dangerous than a Chuck E. Cheese on a Saturday afternoon). I like going through the area as it has more rabble and color than most brand-loving pachinko-parlored urban areas that I normally frequent.
Another day well spent.
