Kyo Yasai: Traditional Vegetables of Kyoto

Kyo yasai is the collective name for the distinctive heritage vegetables raised by the climate, water, and soil of Kyoto. Far from the sea, Kyoto developed a food culture that treasured locally grown vegetables, and characterful varieties have been handed down across its districts. As the stars of kaiseki and obanzai, they continue to color the Kyoto table.

Highlights

• Kamo eggplant is round and large, melting in texture when grilled or fried
• Kujo leek is tender even in its leaves and grows sweeter after frost
• Shogoin radish holds its shape when simmered yet melts softly in the mouth

Enjoying the Seasons

The lead vegetable changes by season. Summer brings Kamo eggplant and Manganji pepper, while winter sees Shogoin radish, Shogoin turnip, and Kujo leek at their peak. Choosing the vegetable in its season lets you taste it at its best.

Access and Basic Information

• Area: production zones include Kamigamo, Shogoin, and Kujo. Taste them at city markets, farm stands, and restaurants.
• Access: buy at Nishiki Market or local farm stands, and taste them at obanzai and kaiseki restaurants.
• Budget guide: buying at stands or markets starts from a few hundred yen depending on the item. In cuisine they appear as a dish within kaiseki or obanzai.
• Format: sold fresh, and enjoyed cooked as dengaku, simmered medleys, or tempura.

Practical Travel Notes

• Tasting Kyo yasai in season is the best recommendation of all. If a variety name appears on a menu, choosing that dish lets you feel the season.
• Selecting a dish that highlights the ingredient, such as Kamo eggplant dengaku or grilled marinated Manganji pepper, makes the differences clear.
• If taking fresh Kyo yasai as a souvenir, mind the shelf life. Choosing easy to carry pickles or processed goods is one option.
• Nishiki Market displays colorful Kyo yasai, a pleasure just to browse.
• Visiting production areas such as Kamigamo and Ohara can let you meet freshly picked Kyo yasai at farm stands.

A Quick Tip

Tasting them in season is the best recommendation of all. If you spot the name on a menu, do try a dish made with that Kyoto vegetable. For souvenirs, pickles or processed goods are convenient.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Nishiki Market (Kyoto's Kitchen): Around 130 shops line roughly 400 meters of Nishikikoji Street from east to west, from Teramachi to Takakura. Opening hours are generally from around 10:00 to around 18:00, and closing days vary by shop (Wednesday, Sunday and so on) rather than being fixed for the market as a whole
• Rules at Nishiki Market: Eating while walking is prohibited. Eat what you buy in front of the shop or in an eat-in space
• Getting to Nishiki Market: Within walking distance of Kyoto-kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line or Shijo Station on the subway Karasuma Line. The market has no parking of its own, so if you come by car you will need to use a coin parking lot nearby
• Jinento Ichiba (farmers' direct sales market): 125 Takeda Aoike-cho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City. Open 9:00-20:00 on weekdays and 9:00-18:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Closed over the New Year period, with additional irregular closures (tel. 075-646-0831). The adjoining Jinento Shokudo restaurant is open 10:00-18:00
• Getting to Jinento Ichiba: A 5-minute walk west from Exit Nishi 2 of Takeda Station on the Kintetsu and subway lines. It suits those who want to avoid the crowds of the city center, or who want to stop by car
• How long to allow: 45 minutes to 1 hour to walk Nishiki Market from end to end while shopping. About 30 minutes for shopping at the direct sales market
• Avoiding the crowds: Nishiki Market is busiest from midday into the evening, especially on weekends and during the tourist seasons. The morning, right after the shops open, is the easiest time to walk through. At the direct sales market, first thing in the morning offers the widest selection
• In the rain: Nishiki Market is covered by an arcade, so you can walk through without an umbrella even on a rainy day. It is an easy place to work into your Kyoto plans on a wet day
• Strollers and wheelchairs: The passage through Nishiki Market is flat but narrow, and getting through with a stroller becomes quite difficult when it is crowded. If you must go, choose the quieter morning hours. Jinento Ichiba is a suburban store with wide aisles, so you can take your time
• Budget guide: The vegetables themselves start from several hundred yen an item. A meal of obanzai home-style dishes costs 1,000-2,000 yen or so, while enjoying them as Kyoto kaiseki cuisine costs several thousand yen or more
• Payment methods: Nishiki Market shops each handle payment differently, and some still take cash only. It is reassuring to have coins on hand
• Tips for taking food home: Fresh Kyoto vegetables do not keep. For souvenirs, processed items such as Kyoto pickles and dressings are easier to handle, and as a rule anything needing refrigeration should be bought at the very end of your trip
• Combine it with: Nishiki Market is a pleasure just to walk through and take in the colors of Kyoto vegetables

Information Sources

The years in which the "Traditional Vegetables of Kyoto" designation was established and revised, its five criteria, and the details, starting year and meaning of the Kyo mark design of the "Kyoto Brand Products" certification system were confirmed on the "Traditional Vegetables of Kyoto and Kyoto Brand Products" page of the Kyoto Prefecture website. The section, length, number of shops, approximate opening hours and no-eating-while-walking rule of Nishiki Market are based on official Kyoto City tourism information and guidance from the Nishiki Market shopping street. The opening hours, closing days, address, telephone number and access for Jinento Ichiba are based on the access page of the Jinento Ichiba official website. Opening hours, closing days and prices are subject to change, so please check official information before you set out.