Japan Farmers Markets

Kosuke Yamaki and family at Tokyo's Earth Day Farmers Market. Cold temperatures have settled in and there's frost at the farm every morning now. Out and about at farmers markets around town the winter harvest is in full swing with a full selection of greens , daikons (yup, there's more than one kind of giant white radish to be had!), kabus, and more. The Earth Day Market last month featured crisp apples, pears, kaki (persimmon), and some of the sweetest mikan to be found. Don't miss the chance to find good food to share with friends as gifts or at the table. There's no better way to end the year (or start the new one, for that matter) than with something delightful for the taste bud and tummy. **Do note, though, that the schedule this month may be a bit tricky given the upcoming holidays. Monthly markets are happening a bit earlier while weekly markets stop running about a week before the New Year until about a week after. SUN Grocery in Shinjuku Satur

A glorious November Earth Day Farmers Market in Yoyogi. This past weekend found me talking to folks at Oxfam Japan's monthly educational session about farmers markets and why I think they're worth the effort . Since I can't help but chat a bit even while I'm meant to be all official and everything, we ended up having some really nice conversations about food, memory, family history, and farming. Nearly everyone decided to join me the next day for a visit to the Earth Day Farmers Market in Yoyogi. The whole gang ready to discover new food and fun! Hello, apples. Sunday bloomed beautifully sunny with just the right of amount of cold in the air as we headed over to the stalls set up under the elms. Verdant winter greens, carrots of all colors, jams galore (a personal favorite), apples, pears, mikan, daikon, kabu, honey, and more greeted us. Winter vegetable sampler Steaming amezake Welcoming samples of grilled mochi and cups of hot amezake (A

Ishizaki-san at Hamamatsu Organic Farmers Market Temperatures are dropping and Fuji-san has plenty of snow on his shoulders already. It's a great time of year to head on out to the markets and gather up an assortment of seasonal goodies for eating. Newly harvested rice, mabiki, early greens, a few last eggplants, and a whole bounty of other goodies to warm body and soul as winter approaches! Gyre Market Saturday, November 24th and Sunday, November 25th A gem of a market hidden away in one of Tokyo's high-end shopping districts offering seasonal favorites in a way that feels homey yet rather boutique-y. 11am to 5pm Map Earth Day Market Sunday, November 25th I could go wax on forever about how great this market is and how important it is for the future of Japanese farming. Instead, I'll just insist that folks go and see for themselves what great things the market and these innovative growers are doing. 10am to 4pm, Ra

Heirloom kabu at the Earth Day Market! Just a quick reminder that this weekend I'll be giving a talk about farmers markets and why they're such a great idea for farmers as well as those who like to eat. The Saturday workshop will be informative, fun, and interactive, and the Sunday visit to the Earth Day Market will be all of that and more. Note: The Oxfam International Volunteer Group events page is suffering some technical difficulties at the moment. If you're interested in coming, please leave a comment here with your email and I'll get you registered. Look forward to seeing you there! Oxfam International Volunteer Group Awareness Workshop: Why Farmers Markets Matter Saturday, November 24th 2pm to 4pm National Olympics Memorial Youth Centre , Central Building, Room #108 1,000 yen (all proceeds to Oxfam!) Earth Day Farmers Market Tour Sunday, November 25th 10am to 12pm Meet on the bridge to Meiji Shrine near Harajuku Station. I'll be the tall w

Makiko, intern at Hikari Noen, wears a tsurukubi squash. The middle of the month always brings a bounty of farmers markets full of the best the season has to offer. This time of year visitors should start looking for the first yuzu for marmalade or shu making, early winter greens like komatsuna and karashina, mabiki (daikon thinnings), sweet potatoes , mukago ( satoimo seed potatoes), and so much more. Heavens, I'm already hungry. See you there! Ebisu Market Sunday, November 18th 11am to 5pm A nice sized market held on the terrace just in front of Ebisu Garden Place that will always be special to me for introducing me to dried natto and  tea seedpods . Map Nippori Farmer's Market Saturday, November 17th and Sunday, November 18th 10am to 5pm Another great market in the city found with a little help from friends, this one is sure to not disappoint. My first visit was wonderful despite cold temperatures and a smattering of

Loving the Nara Organic Farmers Market! Autumn is a wonderful time to head to Kyoto and Nara to take in the sites in their coats of colorful leaves. We were just there two weeks ago with my mother-in-law and all three of us fell in love with both cities all over again. One of the best parts of Nara, though, other than the giant Buddha and Nigatsu-do, is the organic farmers market. A monthly event quite similar to Tokyo's Earth Day Market (the managers know each other), the Nara market is smaller but just as bounteous. It's a nice change from temple viewing, and it gives tourists a welcome opportunity to momentarily step off that beaten path of monumental buildings and historic sites. The free samples alone make it worth a stop. Check out the article over at Japan Tourist , and add it to the list of things to see and do when in the neighborhood!

A typical swingin' Earth Day Market in Tokyo! Oxfam Japan and the Oxfam International Volunteer Group put on an awareness-raising event each month in an effort to let folks know what is happening globally and locally around an issue of import. Inspired by the global organization's GROW Campaign (check out the report on their findings thus far ) the November event will be all about farmers markets. Yours truly will be speaking about why farmers markets matter to producers and consumers of food, rural economies and communities, and more. The following day I'll be taking interested folks around to the Earth Day Farmers Market in Yoyogi to meet some farmers, producers, and new vegetables. Come join in the fun!* *The events page appears to be troubled at the moment, so just drop me a note in the comments below or via Twitter and I'll get you registered. Oxfam International Volunteer Group Awareness Workshop: Why Farmers Markets Matter Saturday, November 24th

Ishida-san and his daughter at the Hamamatsu Organic Farmers Market. Oh, the days are simply glorious just now. So much sunshine and blue sky I can barely stand sitting at my desk to write. Thank heavens for the farm , the garden , and all these farmers markets to haul me out of my chair and into the light. I'll be filling my bags this weekend with goodly amounts of genmai (brown rice) , red and black rice, millet, whole soba grains, hatomugi (Job's tears) , and all the other fixings I toss in to cook with our rice. And just think of all those chestnuts in season now simply waiting to be made into something scrumptious. It does make for a heavy bag, but I think of it as weight training with a vegetable bonus. Gyre Market Saturday,  November 10th and Sunday, November 11th A gem of a market hidden away in one of Tokyo's high-end shopping districts offering seasonal favorites in a way that feels homey yet rather boutique-y. 11am to 5pm Map

Autumn leaves at Nikko. While I've said time and time again how much I love winter ( and it's accompanying vegetables ) autumn also holds an undeniable charm. My recent guest post for Dona Bumgarner shares some of the pleasures of the season here in Japan, although I should have added a note about the joy of sweet potatoes , too. Go have a read, then step outside to soak up some of these extraordinary moments brought to you by Nature. Go a little Japanese while you're at it: lay a tarp on the ground, set out a beverage of choice , a seasonal snack or two, and settle in with friends.

Young radish in the November sun. Winter in my native American Midwest is when the garden is but a seed-catalog fed fantasy. Autumn is when the garlic gets tucked in, manure and straw loaded on the beds, and I head in for the first in a long series of cups of tea. And a nip or two of homemade wine crafted by good friends. Here in Tokyo, though, it's a different story. Farmers here tuck nothing in except another bunch of seeds in their pockets and head on out to the fields once more. Manure and various other items - nuka (rice bran), momigara (rice hulls), and good old-fashioned compost - get flopped on the soil, tilled in, covered with mulch, and a fresh round of vegetables go in the ground . As much as I long for the days of looking out at a snow-covered garden from a wood-stove warmed home with a knitting project and cat on my lap simultaneously, I'm also grateful for these winter crops. As I've said time and time again, they are easily my favorite part of the Ja

Ishizaki-san at Hamamatsu Organic Farmers Market Temperatures are dropping and Fuji-san has plenty of snow on his shoulders already. It's a great time of year to head on out to the markets and gather up an assortment of seasonal goodies for eating. Newly harvested rice, mabiki, early greens, a few last eggplants, and a whole bounty of other goodies to warm body and soul as winter approaches! SUN Grocery in Shinjuku Saturday, November 3rd 11am to 3pm A once-a-month outreach effort by the students running a neighborhood grocery featuring fruits and vegetables from independent farmers. Map Ebisu Market Sunday, November 4th Sunday, November 18th 11am to 5pm A nice sized market held on the terrace just in front of Ebisu Garden Place that will always be special to me for introducing me to dried natto and  tea seedpods . Map Gyre Market Saturday,  November 10th and Sunday, November 11th Saturday, November 24th and Sunday, November 25th A gem of a m