Tokyo's Coolest Flea Market

By Kjeld Duits, Wednesday May 29, 2013 - places

The L and R often give trouble to Japanese ears, and many people aren’t quite sure whether it’s the Yoyogi Free Market, or Flea Market. Either way, it’s the best market in Tokyo

Tokyo has lots of flea markets, but one stands above all: the Yoyogi Flea Market, located conveniently close to Harajuku and Shibuya. The vendors are mostly young people, including many of the people we shoot at JAPANESE STREETS. They come to sell their own stuff. As a result, it’s almost all clothes and accessories, much of it pretty cool.

You can find anything from hand-made items to well-known brand names, and often at unbeatable prices. Deals that you will even find tough to find at Tokyo’s many used clothing stores. All these goodies attract lots of trendy customers, so the market is not only a good place to find some cool stuff, it is also the perfect place for people watching.

Started in 1981, the official name is actually Yoyogi Free Market. On a good day, you may count some 600 to 800 vendors, but on a slow day it can feel a bit lonely. Both the weather and the calendar make a big difference. If the market takes place on an extended week-end, such as during Golden Week (April 19 – May 5), the space tends to be fully booked.

Intended to happen monthly, the market’s schedule is actually a bit irregular. Make sure to regularly check the organizer’s site (in Japanese). It takes place between 9:00am and 4:00pm, but for the best stuff you have to be one of the early birds.

LISTS OF FLEA MARKETS IN TOKYO

All sites are in Japanese, so use Google Translate if you can’t read Japanese

• Aozora Koten
• TOKYO RECYCLE
• Recycle Suishin Tomo no Kai (The Association of Friends to Promote Recycling)
• Flea markets at temples and shrines (English)

130429-6113

130429-6115

130429-6117

130429-6120

130429-6122

130429-6124

130429-6169

130429-6179

130429-6183

130429-6192

130429-6194

130429-6209

130429-6215

130429-6290

130429-6297

130429-6299

130429-6310

130429-6473

130429-6569

130429-6590

130429-6610

130429-6322

130429-6682

130429-6186

130429-6686

130429-6681

130429-6675

About the Author

Inspired by the stunningly creative street fashion that exploded on the streets of Tokyo and Osaka in the late 1990’s, photo-journalist Kjeld Duits launched JAPANESE STREETS in 2002. This makes JS one of the first fashion blogs on the net, and the very first to cover Japanese street fashion.

Comment （日本語もOK）

I will go to Tokyo 19-21 July 2013, I really want to go to
Yoyogi Flea Market. I want to make sure it open on 20-21 Jul.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,
Intira

intira
Jun 19, 2013 (3750 days ago)

@intira: The Yoyogi Flea Market is held very irregularly these days and often it is not even announced on the website of the organizers… The safest thing to do is to check out the place around 10:00 am on the Sunday mornings that you’re in Tokyo. If there is a market there will be many hundreds of people waiting in line to register.

Kjeld Duits (author)
Jun 19, 2013 (3750 days ago)

Will there be a Flea / Free market this coming December 15th 2013?
I will be in that area and eager to join! Please email me: modernhero@gmail.com

eric
Oct 24, 2013 (3623 days ago)

@Eric: The organizers have made no announcements yet for December. Check the following site for other flea markets in Tokyo. I don’t know if you read Japanese. Otherwise, Google Translate will be of some help, I think. Have fun!

Kjeld Duits (author)
Oct 24, 2013 (3623 days ago)

hello!! It will be a market next november? thanks in advance!!

david
Nov 2, 2013 (3614 days ago)

@david: Do you mean next year November, or this month?

Kjeld Duits (author)
Nov 4, 2013 (3612 days ago)

Hello, I’ll go to Tokyo on 2nd Jan 2014 and 3rd. Jan 2014.
Will there be a Flea / Free market during that day?

Look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,
Watcharin.

Watcharin
Nov 15, 2013 (3600 days ago)

@Watcharin: I very much doubt that there will be a flea market at Yoyogi Park during the New Year’s holidays, but there will be one at Akihabara UDX (10:00～16:00, about 100 vendors). However, I strongly suggest that you visit Meiji Jingu Shrine and Okunitama Shrine during the first three days of January. Okunitama is also recommended for the last day of the year. As is Zōjō-ji Temple (from just before midnight). Both are really interesting to visit for their New Year rituals and New Year’s markets. You will also see some people in kimono as many people go to shrines and temples to pray during the first three days of the year.

Kjeld Duits (author)
Nov 15, 2013 (3600 days ago)

Thank you so much for your kindness .I’ll try to follow your instruction.

watcharin
Nov 16, 2013 (3600 days ago)

Hi, I will be in Tokyo Jan 17 – Jan 26, is there flea market happening? Thank you so much!

Lizzy
Nov 16, 2013 (3600 days ago)

@watcharin: Glad you found the info helpful. ^^

Kjeld Duits (author)
Nov 16, 2013 (3600 days ago)

@Lizzy: One of the best sites to keep track of for flea markets is trx.jp. It is in Japanese, but with Google Translate, you can probably figure it out. They already have some 15 listings now for your time period. Another good one to check is this one. Also in Japanese. And then there are many excellent antique markets, mainly at temples and shrines. Use this site. Have fun!

Kjeld Duits (author)
Nov 16, 2013 (3600 days ago)

hi! how about on march 21 – april 6 2014… during that time span? would there be a flea market also?

tangerine
Jan 17, 2014 (3537 days ago)

@tangerine: Not all flea markets for that period have been announced yet. Please keep track of them using the links in my previous comment. ^^

Kjeld Duits (author)
Jan 19, 2014 (3535 days ago)

こんにちは、すみませんが、3月23日にまだそういう市場がありますか(^O)行きたいんですけど。

Peii
Mar 7, 2014 (3489 days ago)

@Peii: 2月23日にありました。。。3月23日には別な場所ではマケットございます。このサイトに確認してください： http://trx.jp/schedule/

Kjeld Duits (author)
Mar 7, 2014 (3489 days ago)

Hi, I’ll be in Tokyo in April 2014. Will there be a flea market on 13/4/14?

Cindy
Mar 27, 2014 (3468 days ago)

@Cindy: See the scheduled flea markets for April 13th at APRIL 2014 (scroll down) and TokyoRecycle (Japanese, so you may need to use Google Translate).

Kjeld Duits (author)
Mar 27, 2014 (3468 days ago)

Hi!
Is there any flea market in Yoyogi in april?

Peter hernqvist
Apr 10, 2014 (3455 days ago)

＠Peter hernqvist: The flea market I introduced on this page is not planned for April. But there are other markets. See the links in the previous comments.

Kjeld Duits (author)
Apr 11, 2014 (3454 days ago)

Hi..
I’ll be in tokyo in June 19-30, will there be a flea market ?

Shanty
Apr 28, 2014 (3437 days ago)

＠Shanty: There will be lots of flea markets in Tokyo during the period of your visit. Please see the links in the previous comments.

Kjeld Duits (author)
Apr 29, 2014 (3436 days ago)

Hi .. i am in tokyo for the entire month of may 2014… i need to visit some flea markets . kindly suggest which ones to go and what date/day and time will they be held. thanks

megha

Megha Bhatia
May 6, 2014 (3429 days ago)

@Megha Bhatia: I have added a list of sites to the article with information about where and when flea markets take place in Tokyo and surroundings. Have fun!

Kjeld Duits (author)
May 6, 2014 (3429 days ago)

Hello. Can you help me to choose a good flea market to go tomorrow? 11th of may 2014. Thank you very much

Filipa Grilo
May 9, 2014 (3426 days ago)

I would suggest the antique market at Yasukuni Shrine or the one at Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine in Fukagawa. More info at Flea markets at temples and shrines. There are two other fairly large regular flea markets (not antique markets!) happening tomorrow: Toshimaen and Komazawa Koen, but I have never visited either so can’t say if they are any good.

Kjeld Duits (author)
May 9, 2014 (3426 days ago)

Hello, do you know if there will be flea markets in early june, and where would that be?

charis
May 11, 2014 (3424 days ago)

@Charis: Did you check the LISTS OF FLEA MARKETS IN TOKYO in the article above?

Kjeld Duits (author)
May 11, 2014 (3424 days ago)

Hi,can u help me to choose a good flea market on june 29? Thank you very much

Farrel
May 14, 2014 (3420 days ago)

We will be in Tokyo between 20-30th June, is this market on anytime during this period

Amanda Hicks
Jun 14, 2014 (3390 days ago)

@Amanda Hicks: Did you check the links in the article, Amanda?

Kjeld Duits (author)
Jun 16, 2014 (3388 days ago)

is there any flea market in Tokyo from 15 to 22 December 2014

Andrew
Nov 20, 2014 (3231 days ago)

I am now in tokyo until sat. But leaving on sat morning. I only have today until friday to go to a flea market. Can you pl help find one

judith
Dec 1, 2015 (2855 days ago)

@Judith: There is an antique fair in Saitama today. Everything else is on Saturday, or later.

Kjeld Duits (author)
Dec 1, 2015 (2855 days ago)

I will be in Tokyo March-April 2016. Is there a market on in that period?

Susan
Feb 27, 2016 (2767 days ago)

halo
i will be in tokyo on 9-14 June 2016. can u recommand me some flea market, time and place? thanks for your great help~!!!!

jacky
May 8, 2016 (2696 days ago)

@Jacky: There are not really any big ones that week-end, but you could try the fairs at Yasukuni Shrine, Tomioka Hachiman in Fukagawa, or Fussa Shichifukujin Antique Fair. More information at this site. Scroll down to June!

Kjeld Duits (author)
May 8, 2016 (2696 days ago)

@Jacky: There is also a small flea market at FUKAGAWA GATHARIA on June 12 (10:00~16:00). Use Google Translate to understand the Japanese. Here is a map.

Kjeld Duits (author)
May 9, 2016 (2695 days ago)

Hi! I am from Singapore. Will there be flea market conducted in November at Shibuya? My family and I will be coming to Tokyo in mid November. Many thanks in advance. :)