The Edo period was a time when Japan's popular culture and commerce flourished. Small businesses started by ordinary people, such as umbrella re-covering, repair work, and even people selling riddles, took root in daily life and gave the town its vitality.
Higashi Tokyo Ichi (東東京市) is a market event that began with the aim of creating a place where anyone can enjoy trade and start something new, much like the towns of the Edo period.
The venue is Yanagibashi in Tokyo, a district that once flourished as a geisha quarter (hanamachi) and where a variety of craft-making traditions still live on today.
Makers, sellers, diners, and visitors come together, and through exhibitions, sales, workshops, and more, the event creates new encounters for those who stop by.
Coming across things and people you rarely meet in everyday life may leave you thinking,
"Maybe I could start something too."
This year marks the seventh edition. "Higashi Tokyo Ichi 7" will run for three days, from Friday, October 16 to Sunday, October 18, 2026.
Event Overview
Dates: Friday, October 16 to Sunday, October 18, 2026, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Venue: CPK GALLERY and the Yanagibashi area
1-28-1 Yanagibashi, Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-8625
5-minute walk from Asakusabashi Station (JR Sobu Line / Toei Asakusa Line)
Admission: Free (some workshops are paid and require advance reservation)
Instagram: @higashitokyoichi
Around 40 Makers and Businesses Gather
Again this year, the market is not limited to any one genre, and a wide range of businesses gather in Yanagibashi.
Exhibitors with distinctive styles will show and sell furniture and products, art, fashion, used books, music, food, plants, fortune-telling, and more.
Exhibitors
amenez-moi! | BOYA | CAMERA | ENGI | forslag design (Saturday and Sunday only) | HIIKI | HINOKINOHI | KIT SHOP | L’oiseau Irisé | marutorii 旅する縫い子 | mobiile | moe matsuda | mumea | PANAMA | PermanentJewelry umi | pono | Rimoon Somio/Pedal Guild | SINDENKI (Saturday and Sunday only) | studio Kucch | THE HANGER | Tomoko Yamashita (山下ともこ) | Zelt Bookstore | オーエム | ギャラクシー・トイシンセラボ | タイランドキッチン たびする子ぞう 浅草橋店 | ぷぷぷ商店 | べジラボ | マルアン商会 | 株式会社生活の木 | 吉永薫 | 自家製麺うるちⅡ | Takumi Morohashi | 水元さきの (Sunday only) | 西田真魚 | 占い×整体 まじ軽 | 大沼 勇樹 | 椎名製作所 | 暮らしと珈琲東京
Exhibitors are subject to change without notice.
Workshops
Workshop 01: Use a Saw Like It's a Sport - Furniture-Making Workshop with Tokyo Cedar
A workshop led by furniture craftsman 大沼勇樹 that lets participants enjoy the fun of woodworking.
Using Tokyo cedar, participants build a piece of furniture while enjoying the saw as if it were a sport.
Dates:
Saturday, October 17, 2026, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Sunday, October 18, 2026, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Fee: ¥11,000 (tax included; materials and lecture fee included)
Instructor: 大沼勇樹
Workshop 02: SORA KASA WORKSHOP by KIT SHOP
A workshop where participants assemble a vinyl umbrella starting from its frame.
Participants put the parts together one by one and finish by decorating the umbrella freely with stickers and pens, creating an original umbrella of their own while enjoying the assembly.
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2026, from 2:00 PM (approximately 30 minutes)
Capacity: 8 participants
Advance reservations are given priority. Walk-in participation is also possible if spots are available.
Fee: ¥3,300 (tax included)
Age: 3 and up
The umbrella is 55 cm in size. Because small parts are used, young children should take part together with a parent or guardian.
What Higashi Tokyo Ichi Aims For
Higashi Tokyo Ichi is not a market that simply lines up finished products and services.
"I'd like to try making something like this."
"I'd like to try doing something like this."
"Maybe I could do this myself."
Small sparks like these, passed along through encounters between people, lead to new businesses and activities.
The goal is to create in present-day Yanagibashi the liveliness that comes from small businesses, just like in the towns of the Edo period. That is the kind of market Higashi Tokyo Ichi aims to be.
Organizer: 東東京市実行委員会 - 諸橋拓実 | 海野貴大 | 日本コパック
Co-organizer: 柳橋町会
Supported by: Taito City
In cooperation with: 柳橋めぐり商店街 | 株式会社ジェイアール東日本都市開発 | すみだストリートジャズフェスティバル実行委員会
