Tera de Marche

Last Saturday, while wandering from Ueno to Kappabashi Tool Street, we stumbled upon a poster written in brush calligraphy announcing, "Handmade Market at the Temple 10:00-16:00”.

Glancing at the iPhone, it was already 15:30. Looking on the casual arrow drawn in red on the poster suggested, we thought, "It shouldn't be far", sparking our curiosity to check it out.

Around the corner, a man dressed as a monk and a woman in a long skirt were chatting casually by the roadside next to a temple. Above the temple door hung a banner reading "Tera de Marche", written in English but feeling almost French, quite clever.

Passing through a small garden, some stalls were selling craft beer and small tableware, we hurried due to time constraints, then took off our shoes and entered the temple.

Inside, the atmosphere was different from the usual handmade markets we visited; artists and guests (friends?) were sitting leisurely on the ground, their laughter mingling with the cool breeze from the garden, creating a space perfect for relaxing all afternoon.

A small side hall was also open, where several artists busily showcased their embroidered accessories.

Moving upstairs, the air was filled with a faint aroma of coffee, coming from a small stall selling cookies and coffee right by the stairs. Unfortunately, we had just bought a Georgia coffee from 7-11.

Apart from us, there seemed to be no other outside participants on the upper floor, where about a dozen handmade stalls displayed their unique items, including all-white ceramic accessories and ethnic-style crocheted earrings.

The temple and the Japanese handmade market seamlessly merged, without any sense of discord, even... surprisingly well-matched! More than doing sale, it seemed they valued interaction with each other. Rather than a market, it felt more like a gathering among friends.

We were delighted by today's serendipitous discovery and are looking forward to the next time.