[Extra Edition] I went to the Tokyo Flea Market '25 AUTUMN!

I participated for the first time in an event I've been curious about for a long time!

Starting around this weekend, I've finally reached a period where I can
secure some private time.
Since it's a long-awaited moment,
I was wondering where to start. lol

Usually, this is the season when Kasamashiko
starts, so I
would have headed there.
However, starting this autumn, I've set a major policy to prioritize events I've never been to,
so I was wondering what to do.

So, I set my sights on theTokyo Flea Market.
This event often overlaps with things like Kasamashiko every year,
and although I've been very interested,
I never had the chance to go.

So, I went to Showa Kinen Park for the second time since my COVID vaccination.
*I can't believe I came all the way here for a vaccination
It was my first time getting off at JR Tachikawa Station itself.
I was a bit surprised by how
impressive the station was.

This Tokyo Flea Market was first held in 2012,
held in spring and autumn, and this is the 25th time.
This time, 300 exhibitors were gathered.

It seems the organizer is a company called Tegamisha.
From organizing events like this to publishing magazines,
running cafes, general stores, craft beer shops,
and even real estate, they seem to be an attractive company
that acts as if they'll do anything
if it looks interesting.

I wonder if they'd hire me, even though I'm an old man. lol

Skillful operations that make the secret of their popularity clear.

The admission fee is 2,200 yen for a same-day ticket.
As I always say, when it comes to paid events,
I'm the type to raise the bar significantly. lol
Whether it's worth that value,
that also becomes one of the highlights.

But I started to feel immediately after entering
that such worries would end up being groundless.
The operation is just wonderful.
Since it was the first day of the event, there were a huge number of people,
so I saw some places that were crowded
here and there, but
people kept flowing with almost no problems.

I started to feel right after entering
that they were quite experienced.

Especially in the main venue, the spacing between booths
was set with plenty of room,
so it was designed to be okay
even if a considerable number of people entered.

Personally, I don't really like the star-shaped layout of the aisles.
It's easy to lose track of where you've looked and where you haven't. lol

Now, as for the exhibitors, which is the main point.
They were all equally excellent,
and I had no complaints.

Since it's a flea market,
unlike the craft events I usually go to,
it was natural that there were many antique-style items
on display.

Rather than the hardcore antiques or curios often found
in shrine precincts, it was more
centered on 70s-style, so to speak,
emotional antiques.

Floral enamel pots, desk lamps,
glass cups, elementary school pipe chairs, etc.,
items that are nostalgic for our generation,
or conversely, items where you'd wonder what's so good about them,
could be seen everywhere. lol

Well, I suppose those things are irresistibly emotional to young women today.
And I wonder if that's also the secret to their popularity.

To put it simply, my wife and daughter would
definitely prefer this event. lol

What did a guy who is obsessed with pottery buy?

As for other exhibits, such as crafts,
I felt the number of exhibitors was a bit lacking,
but I suppose that's just how it is.

The concept is a bit different,
but Earth Day Tokyo has a similar structure.

If I really wanted to see pottery and crafts that much,
I could just go to the events I usually attend,
and that would be the end of it.

To get a sense of the current trends in the world,
I thought it might be good to participate in an event like this
for a change.

Also, let's see...
as usual, the crowds for the food were so intense,
I gave up on buying anything inside early on.
I absolutely hate waiting in lines, haha.

I mean, there were lines starting from just after 10 AM, you know?
If I had time to stand in a line like that,
I'd rather spend it walking around the booths.

By the way, in the small venue area,
Wheat Feswas held, featuring bread and sweets exhibits
all gathered in one place.
The crowding there was even more intense.
There were so many people that I couldn't even see what kind of shops they were,
and no matter which way I turned, people were in the frame,
so I couldn't even take a proper photo.

I barely managed to leave the venue
while being jostled by the crowd.

They might have been better off designing the booths
with a bit more space.
After all, there was still plenty of room in the park.

So, while I've been mentioning a few complaints here and there,
as I said at the beginning,
the level of perfection of this event is quite high.

There was a proper DJ booth set up,
and on the cutely decorated stage,
artist performances were held
from time to time,
so there were no complaints regarding the sound and BGM.

The workshops were also well-stocked,
there was a corner where you could send letters for free from the venue,
and there was a stamp rally to go around the venue,
so it was really well put together.

What was even more impressive was the Tegamisha booth itself.
They had the largest booth at the very back of the venue,
selling their own miscellaneous goods and novelties,
and that was where the biggest crowd was.

It was clear that there are many fans of Tegamisha,
and people who love the very atmosphere that Tegamisha creates.

Thinking about that, they must be making quite a profit there,
and they must be charging exhibitors fees as well,
so I did feel a little sting of, 'Do you really need to charge visitors such a high entrance fee?' haha.

I'll leave the atmosphere of the venue and the details of each booth for you to imagine from the images.
As for whether I actually bought anything at this event,
or if I didn't buy anything at all,
let's save that for a later date.
I'll leave that for you to look forward to.

But well, it's hard to imagine me buying
a floral enamel pot. lol

Actually, following yesterday, I went to another event today,
so I also need to summarize the content of that one.
I hope you can wait a little while.

I'm finally starting to get into the swing of things, right? lol

So, don't miss my upcoming autumn activities!

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