The 13th Annual Bunkyo-ku Aozora (Blue Sky) Garage Sale took up three streets and a schoolyard.

At about 11, I dragged Tod from his slumber to see the market. He broke his fast with a serving of yakisoba (fried noodles). I went into the schoolyard and joined the little children playing with the creatures in the Fureai Dobutsuen (Friendly Animal Zoo).

The garage sale portion of the festival, Koishikawa Free Market, took over the margins of each street (there are no sidewalks here) as neighbors cleared out their houses by selling old clothes, housewares, and trinkets. Each doodad covered tarp and table was a living archeology dig—all the junk dug up from the bottoms of closets.

Next year I think I’ll join the Free Market with English books and computer parts. Posted by kuri at May 14, 2001 07:03 AM