O n Saturdays and Sundays, a small group of vendors sets up stalls filled with fresh vegetables and fruit outside the Kotsu Kaikan Building, a shopping complex in front of Yurakucho Station, in central Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. The Kotsu Kaikan Marche, which started in April, is the latest of a growing number of weekly farmers markets that offer the chance to purchase fresh produce directly from producers.
Although such markets have been around for decades in Western countries such as France and the United States, the concept has only recently begun to take hold in Japan. Thanks to concerns about food safety and an increased interest in organic products, the farmers markets have been gradually gaining popularity.
"At supermarkets, everything is self- service. There's no one to ask if you have questions about the produce," says organizer Kazuki Iimura. "People are tired of this system and looking to return to the old market style, where you can have face-to-face communication with sellers."