I wake up early and enjoy the everyday life in Toyama on the first Sunday of the month.

　Every first Sunday morning of the month, I wake up a little earlier than usual. My destination is the "Toyama Flea Market" at the Toyama Prefectural Gokoku Shrine. The crowds increase dramatically after 7:1 a.m., so I always arrive by 6:30 a.m. Even then, I'm already passing people leaving. The shrine grounds are already overflowing with stalls and shoppers.

　My first visit was when I was in high school. It all started when my classmate Nahoko brought a military-style bag to school and I asked her, "Where did you buy it?" The following month, on the first Sunday morning, I cycled for about 40 minutes from my home. I thought, "There's a place where people are having so much fun in the morning," and I watched intently as customers negotiated prices with the shopkeepers.
 
　It was lively back then too, but in the last few years, the number of vendors and customers has increased considerably. I'm a bit of a free spirit, so when I go with someone, I usually get separated from them. That's why I wear brightly colored clothes when I go out, so that the person I'm with can easily spot me.

Antique tools and collectibles, secondhand clothes and paintings, handmade goods, potted plants, cut flowers, udon and soba noodles, sweets—all sorts of people set up all sorts of shops. I browse the items, pick something up, and immediately buy anything that catches my eye. Sometimes things sell out while I'm looking at other shops, so my rule is to "buy it without hesitation" if I come across an antique tool or collectible that I like.

　Lately, I have two favorite places to visit. One is a shop selling artificial flowers. They have seasonal flowers made of fabric on display. In May I bought houttuynia cordata and dayflowers, and in July I bought hydrangeas. I find their simple and rustic forms, even the frayed edges of the fabric, incredibly endearing. Just imagining a room decorated with these flowers fills me with happiness.
 
　Another thing I look for is things that can be used as tea ceremony utensils. I use antique jewelry boxes as tea bowls, make tea in café au lait bowls, and make tea bags from old fabrics. Flea markets are also a place where I encounter tea ceremony utensils.

　Breakfast is always "mandaj," a type of fried bread, and milk tea. The spiced fried bread is just the right size for my small appetite. There's always a line of customers, so the shopkeepers are endlessly kneading and frying the dough. I then buy some "mitarashi dango" (rice dumplings with sweet soy sauce glaze) from near the torii gate as a souvenir and head home. My stay is about an hour and a half.

　Just recently, I went to a flea market with Iba-san and Kyokaku-san, who I'm working with on "Spinny." They were waiting for me on a park bench next to a shrine, as I hadn't finished my shopping. They were laughing heartily as they flipped through a newly purchased occult magazine, just like we did after school in our student days. I felt it would be a waste to call out to them right away, so I watched them from a distance for a while. It was such a peaceful and precious moment that I think it might be the happiest time of my life.

　So many things are changing rapidly, both in society as a whole and in my immediate surroundings. But when I come to the flea market, I see dumplings being grilled by the torii gate, stalls lined up on the gravel beside the approach to the shrine and around the sumo ring, and someone happily buying what someone else no longer needs. Watching this cycle repeat, I feel happy to think that this town has been connected uninterrupted from the past to the present. That's why I get up early on the first Sunday of the month and enjoy the everyday life of Toyama.

　"Toyama Flea Market" is a true representation of Toyama, brimming with local charm. The years of experience shared by the local people have created a relaxed energy and warm atmosphere. It possesses a welcoming and gentle spirit that embraces everyone. A visit here is sure to make you fall in love with Toyama. (T)