Flea Markets!

A few weekends ago my friend Emelie and I decided to go in search of a flea market we read about in one of the many Tokyo tour guide books. This flea market is held two days a month and we weren't entirely sure that it was going to be on but we figured it was worth the risk. It was supposed to be on  near a shrine in Harajuku. Turns out it wasn't happening the day we went but we did take a nice walk around the shrine and neighboring park.

It was smack dab in the middle of some office buildings, but this was a hotel/event place near the shrine.

It kind of looks like I managed to capture a picture of the abominable snowman but actually there was just a wedding going on! Very traditional and formal Japanese wedding.

This is the name of the cool cafe that I went to once or twice in Harajuku (posted about it some time ago).  We accidentally stumbled on it the first time, but now I somewhat remember where it is! I feel like a local already!

 So our failed excursion to find a flea market turned into a success the next day! We managed to figure out that there was a massive flea market going on near Setagaya Station. This happens pretty much once a year, usually around January when everyone cleans out their house for New Years.

You can tell this woman just emptied out her kitchen cabinets.. but there were definitely some cool things to be found if you searched around enough.

I think I took this picture for my mom because we have similar items... my mom would have been in heaven at this flea market!

Everyone seemed to be getting rid of old kimono's...

This flea market was SO CROWDED. To the point where there were times when you couldn't stop at a stall because the crowd was pushing you forward. I hate to say it but the little old Japanese women were the worst! They would stop in the middle of the road just to look at something, but it would be way to crowded to swerve around them so you would just be stuck. It seems like all I did was wait for these old women to shop because I couldn't go anywhere.  Not the most enjoyable way to spend your day at a flea market..

One man's trash is another man's treasure? In my family it's usually my dad that throws things away and my mom that picks things out of the garbage.

Mr. Raisin! We had a few of these figurines when I was younger but according to my mom we (my brothers and I) lost them. Was tempted to buy one for her but they were kind of pricey... probably shouldn't have lost them..

After being fed up with the old women, Emelie and I decided to take a bunch of back alleys and side streets in order to make it back to the station. Down one of the side streets we found this guy making masks! 

He was just happily hammering away. Pretty cool.