Heiwajima Antiques Fair

Weather Explorer has been smitten with Ebisu, the happy fishing god and Yebisu Beer mascot, ever since our Seven Gods of Fortune pilgrimage last month.  She's also fond of Daikoku, the hammering merchant god, who seems to be Ebisu's special godfriend.

One of my favorite things to do is helping other people spend their money.  When Weather decided that Ebisu and Daikoku statues would be happy reminders of her time in Japan, our idle strolls through flea markets developed an intense new flavor.  The packers are due to show up at her door in June, a prospect I choose to ignore for the most part but that's not always easy since her face has taken on a certain familiar flush I call Short-Timer Fever.  Woman with only two months remaining in Japan are often spotted gazing into that abyss known as "the middle distance" while mentally calculating how many more lanterns, rolls of washi paper, and tote bags they can buy without exceeding their household goods weight limit.

Today we braved the Golden Week crowds to search for affordable statues at the Heiwajima Antiques Fair at Tokyo Ryutsu Center near Haneda Airport.  Finding the Ryutsu Center was easy because there's a Tokyo Monorail train station by that name just outside the building's door.  Otsuka-san gets credit for telling us about this indoor quarterly upscale flea market.  Artistic Explorer will not get back to Japan in time for the July 8-10 fair, but maybe I can drag her and other inquisitive types to the September or December versions.

Weather and I spotted dozens of Ebisu and Daikoku statues but replaced them on the shelves quickly yet ever so carefully when we spied price tags in the $100 range.  After searching for about three hours and pausing briefly for lunch, Weather decided to invest in a traditional stone ship carved with all seven gods. 

  

The price tag said 6,800 yen but she got it for 4,000 yen.  It weighs about fifty pounds. I offered to help carry it home on the train, but Weather would have none of that. Sometimes she reminds me a bit of my mother.



The back of the statue



About five minutes after investing in the ship, of course, she found a nice pair of godfriends that the vendor let her have for 2,000 yen (about $25).

I sure hope she comes up with a new mission before we head to the Yamato Shrine sale the week after next. Otherwise, I just might have to track down a pair of those statues for myself and call them a Father's Day gift.

Speaking of the Ancient Mariner, he sailed off on the USS Blue Ridge again this morning. But only for a few days this time as we have a baseball game on our calendar for Friday evening. He sure does love his baseball and I sure do love my Yebisu Beer.

P.S. If you'd like more information about the Heiwajima Antiques Fair, clicking on the post title will take you to the English page of the official website.