About the Osukannon Antique Market
If you've spent any time in Osukannon, you know that the area is a potent mix of history, chaos, retro, funk, and cultures—all snuggling up to each other like a bunch of werewolves waiting to eat a baby.
After all, the annual Cosplay Summit is held there for a reason.
Here's another event to add to your calendar: the Osu Antique Market, held twice monthly at the foot of the steps leading up to the bright vermillion temple - one of Nagoya's most iconic and historically significant structures.
The market has a long history. And the sellers here have a reputation for dragging almost anything out of their warehouse, attic, or wardrobe and slapping eye-popping price tags on the stuff to see what you will pay for it.
I like this bit the most because the real heroes here are the vendors who will disabuse you of any ludicrous notion you might have that Japan doesn't haggle over price.
Game on!
I come here often, even though I rarely buy anything. I find it fascinating to rummage through knickknacks from bygone eras: a retro telephone shaped like a cartoon animal, with ears as the handset and a tail as the cord - or a pair of antique wooden geta sandals with built-in hidden compartments for storing secret messages or tiny treasures. Perhaps you need a set of samurai armor for your cat, crafted with intricate detail and miniaturized weaponry? That kind of thing.
Whenever I come, I consistently find myself entangled in a dance of fixation and dismay. I get a peculiar adrenaline hit while locking horns with some wily, toothless vendor. In fact, I am not only shocked but genuinely disappointed when a lovely lady accepts my lowball offer for, say, a vintage transistor radio disguised as a miniature UFO.
Kaching!
I'm here for the haggle, so for me, the price of admission is FREE. Bargaining down prices for items that I have no intention of buying?
That's my kind of entertainment!
The good news is that while the market may be expensive for some items, not everything will empty your wallet. I once found a perfect birthday present for a friend for only ¥500. Nothing says "Happy 30th" quite like a secondhand set of dentures.
Even though much of what you will find here is simply junk, it is often particularly unique junk. It takes you back to simpler times, a world of rickshaws and fundoshi, a chance to revisit the bubble years by sniffing the tobacco stains on some snack mama's fur coat.
Pro Tip:
Want to score a deal? Pray for rain — not a torrential downpour, mind you, but a gentle drizzle to thin out the crowds. With fewer bargain hunters vying for attention, vendors are more likely to entertain your offer with a nod and a wink.
The Buzz:
Every August 8th, the temple hosts the annual Hahazuka Kuyo (a memorial service for teeth). Bring in your used dentures and baby teeth and have them rest on the tooth mound on the temple grounds.
Some people have this kind of time on their hands.
The Details
Osu Kannon Antique Market
Location:
Osu Kannon Temple
Date:
18th and 28th each month
Time: 9:00–16:00
(Vendors begin packing up from ~15:30)
Price: Free
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Access:
Subway to Osu Kannon Station (Tsurumai Line), Exit 2, 2–3 min walk
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