Harajuku - Togo Shrine Flea market

Can anyone advise me which of the information is correct?

I have run through several webpages and travel guides, they gave me different opinion on the opening of this flea market.

1) Open 1st Sunday of each month

2) Open 1st, 3rd and 4th Sunday of each month.

I have checked through the eventcalender for tokyo yakahoma%26#39;s event, apparently is open on March 23, 2008, the day which we are aiming to visit.

However, I do not want to put too much hope and ended with a disappointment, Hence would appreciate if anyone can help me with this.

Thank you.

Harajuku - Togo Shrine Flea market

According to its webpage, antique market is currently held only on the 1st sunday of each month (due to construction within the shrine compound).

The next market is March 2nd.

http://pss.oc.to/togo/

Harajuku - Togo Shrine Flea market

Oh My God!

Do you know where can we find other flea market on march 23?

We are staying at Shinjuku, and would travel to Harajuku and Shibuya that day... Any flea market along the way would be good, so that we need not divert our journey.

Thanks.

The Hanazono shrine has a flea market every Sunday, it seems. I%26#39;ve never been, but that%26#39;s what this website says:

www.kottouichi.jp

Hanazono shrine is near Shinjuku station, I think.

The unfortunate thing is that it%26#39;s in Japanese.

More than that, if you do a search by calendar

(www.kottouichi.jp/calendar/calendar-tokyo.htm) you%26#39;ll see that there are four shrine sales listed for 23 March; Tomioka, Yasukuni, Hanazono, and Shakuji-hikawajinja. It%26#39;s interesting because I find many sites that say Hanazono is every Sunday, but not Yasukuni - and this site has it listed every Sunday.

I haven%26#39;t been to any of these so I couldn%26#39;t tell you which would be the best, but at least there are options!

When I said %26#39;the unfortunate thing is it%26#39;s in Japanese%26#39; I meant the website, not the sale or Shinjuku station or whichever.

Jacqdegreat - what do plan to purchase/look at? I am going to Japan in July and starting to look at what I want to do... hadn%26#39;t thought about a flea market, but would certainly consider it (if I knew what type of stuff they sold!). Thanks.

Jacqdegreat,

What are you after? The market in Togo shrine is an antique market. If you simply want to visit a flea market (for ordinary things, such as used closes), there%26#39;re flea markets in Tokyo Dome, Meiji Park and Kiba park on the 23rd. Also if you have time on 20th (national holiday), a big flea market is scheduled in Yoyogi park.

The markets that are held at shrines (or sometimes in whatever open space they can find - the Yamato Flea Market is a GREAT flea market and is held around the train station) are kind of step below serious antique sales (that often charge admission) and are a step above junk sales.

You can find tansus, many very nice, many repaired or in need of repair, but rarely a serious restored antique piece like you%26#39;d see in a shop. Also wooden hibachis, many many many.

You can find many many used and vintage kimono, yukata, obi, haori, and other textiles. There are often pieces of indigo-dyed cloth and sometimes old happi coats and banners.

Porcelain and pottery are where I%26#39;ve seen the most serious stuff - you can find many old and very pricey pieces of famous names. Plates, bowls, vases, decorative pieces. Porcelain hibachi all over the place.

Some bronze; incense burners and decorative pieces.

Many old tools turn up at the shrine sales, as do old hair pins, old watches, sake cups, sake cup warmers, old iron teapots, and odd pieces that defy description. I once bought an old shop fixture - a wooden rotating hanko cabinet; it makes a really cool end table with a glass top.

If you do a google search for %26#39;shrine sale%26#39; you can turn up some articles from Metropolis or Japan Times that have photos of what people are looking at.

I think they%26#39;re fascinating but they are highly addictive. I am a recovering used-obi addict myself.

We went to the OEDO Antique Market which takes place on the first and third Sunday every month in the courtyard of Tokyo International Forum. So it should be on the 23 March. It may not have the charm of the shrine markets, but it has a huge number of stalls (they say around 250!) selling great old/antique items. They have a website. It right at JR Yurakucho station, get there early (we arrived by 8.30am) and then you will still have time to go back to Harajuku and Shibuya (you can walk from one to the other). Have fun.

The 23rd of March, is funny enough, the 4th Sunday. Oedo is not listed for that weekend on the Japanese site.

Woops, sorry. Should have checked the calendar. Pity, it would have been a good market for Jacqdegreat to go to. Perhaps I should leave this to the experts. Anyway, have a great time in Tokyo.