My favorite aspect about having a daily or weekly routine is that, although it’s familiar every time, it always feels a little different. For example, I have a cup of coffee every morning, but the experience really changes depending on the beans I use, and even the mug I choose. The same goes for the Sunday Market in Kochi City, which has been a part of my weekly routine for several years now
As a regular customer, the sight of over 300 stalls lining the main street is so familiar to me that it feels like home. However, the weather and demographic or size of the crowd are some of the many variables that can influence the atmosphere of the Sunday Market (although I’ve found that wholesomeness is ever-present)!
On this beautiful early-spring day, I spotted lots of families and furry friends too! I was happy to find Tosa buntan still on sale (particularly in season during the colder months). It is a sweet and sour citrus fruit that can fill both your palms and weigh as much as one kilogram! I picked one up and headed further down the market toward Kochi Castle. There were a few different sansai (mountain vegetables) like fuki (Japanese butterbur) and itadori (Japanese knotweed), both of which I purchased without hesitation! I decided to cook a sansai dinner featuring fuki tempura and stir-fried itadori with soy sauce and roasted sesame seeds
Finally, no spring day in Kochi City is complete without a cherry blossom picnic at the 400-year-old castle so I picked up a sakura mochi at one of the stalls. Pink mochi rice cake filled with sweet red bean paste and wrapped in a salted cherry leaf…that’s the flavor of spring!
Learn more about the Sunday Market:
https://visitkochijapan.com/en/highlights/sundaymarket