Get up early for an old morning market
An asaichi, a morning market, is a street of stalls where local farmers and fishers sell vegetables, seafood, pickles and crafts, usually only until around noon. Wajima, Katsuura and Takayama are known as Japan's three great morning markets, each with a long history, and chatting with the sellers is part of the fun. Wajima's market has moved to a new site since the 2024 Noto earthquake, so check where it is held before you go.
The morning market of Wajima, a fishing town on the Noto Peninsula facing the Sea of Japan, whose old market street was destroyed in the 2024 earthquake. It now runs as a permanent market inside Wai Plaza, a shopping center in the town, where stalls sell local vegetables, seafood and handmade goods and the sellers are glad to chat. It is usually closed on Wednesdays, so check the official site before you go.
A market held for more than 430 years in Katsuura, a fishing town on the Boso Peninsula in Chiba, about 90 minutes from Tokyo by limited express train. Stalls along the street sell local vegetables, fruit and fresh fish, and a little friendly haggling with the sellers is part of the custom. It closes on Wednesdays and finishes by late morning, so come early.
One of two morning markets in Takayama, an old town in the mountains of Gifu, stretched along the Miyagawa River near the old merchant streets. Besides vegetables and fruit, stalls sell flowers, folk crafts and sweets, and it makes a good start to a morning walk before the shops in the old town open. It is about a 10-minute walk from Takayama Station.