Posted on May 20th, 2025

🧭 Wandering in the Rain: Tokyo’s Flea Market Detour & Antique Finds

🗓️ Day 4 – May 17: Flea Market Hop

We had considered a day trip to Mount Fuji but dismissed it in the end because there was no straightforward way of getting there, and the weather was projected to be poor. So, we focused on a flea market hop instead.

🕐 Start from Bespoke Hotel Shinjuku

1. Shinjuku Chuo Park Flea Market

It took us about 50 minutes to walk there from our hotel, under a steady rain. Thankfully, the hotel had umbrellas we could borrow. We stopped for a quick breakfast at a local grocery store, but when we arrived at the flea market, we were disappointed to find that it wasn’t open due to the weather.

We quickly abandoned plans to visit other flea markets and instead researched indoor antique shops. From there, we walked in the rain to Shimokitazawa, where we returned to the neighborhood we’d explored the day before. It took us about an hour through an eclectic mix of neighborhoods. We passed through parts of Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo’s skyscraper district, then wound our way into more residential and low-rise areas like Hatagaya and Daita. Small cafes and tucked-away shops appeared in between clusters of apartment buildings. Eventually, we arrived in Shimokitazawa.

🏺 Antique Yamamoto Shoten (Shimokitazawa)

This is a third-generation shop offering a curated selection of Japanese antiques, including furniture and decorative pieces from the Meiji, Taisho, and early Shōwa periods.

Here, I bought two treasures. The first was a striking blue-and-white porcelain plate. The plate features a phoenix (hō-ō) encircled by chrysanthemums and surrounded by swirling scrolls. Based on stylistic and material cues, it likely dates from the late Meiji–early Shōwa Period (c. 1890–1940s). I also picked up a small, antique rustic clay shot glass for my son.

After our visit, we stopped again at a few vintage clothing shops. But when it came time for lunch, we wandered for quite a while—many restaurants offered similar ramen menus that just didn’t appeal to us. We eventually headed back to Shinjuku and had a late lunch at the same Chinese restaurant we’d enjoyed the previous evening.

Pajama Pursuits

The hotel had supplied us with white cotton kimono-like pajamas, replaced daily. They were so fresh and comfortable that we started scheming ways to take a pair each home. I audaciously asked at the front desk whether they would sell or give them to us, but they coolly declined. After some determined hunting, one of my daughters found a striped pajama set (with shorts) at a local Shinjuku store. Though not quite traditional, they were nicely priced at ¥1900 each, and I chose a pink pair for myself.

🛫 Day 5 – May 18: Off to Seoul

We checked out of our hotel and headed to Narita Airport by train for our 1:20 PM Asiana Airlines flight to Seoul, Republic of Korea. The 90-minute flight was comfortable and efficient. We arrived at Incheon International Airport in good time, ready to begin the next leg of our East Asian journey.