Asian Old Bazaar Nasu: Asian Shopping, Food, and Souvenir Painting
Asian Old Bazaar Nasu in Yumoto, Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, is a free-entry attraction offering goods from Bali, Vietnam, Thailand, India, and Nepal, along with Balinese, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine.
Browse 3 shops themed around different countries and regions, then combine your visit with lunch at the Asian restaurant or a souvenir-painting activity.
Add Shopping and Souvenir Painting to Your Nasu Sightseeing
This is a good stop for anyone who enjoys comparing Asian goods or making a hands-on keepsake while traveling.
If you are visiting with others, discussing whether you most want to shop, eat, or try an activity makes it easier to decide how to spend your time.
A typical visit takes around 1 hour, but allow extra time if you also want lunch or a painting activity.
Things to See Around the Grounds: The Split Gate and Jalan-Jalan Path
A split gate of the kind famous in Bali towers over the entrance, and unusual stone statues stand around the grounds, adding an Asian atmosphere beyond the products on sale.
The grounds also have a Nepalese Buddhist prayer wheel called a mani wheel, which is said to count as reciting a sutra each time you turn it.
Ganesha, known as a god of learning and commerce, also welcomes visitors, so making a wish is another way to enjoy your visit.
On the way to Ubud Shop, a woodland path named “Jalan-Jalan,” Indonesian for strolling or wandering, offers a chance to enjoy a leisurely walk among the trees.
Looking at the buildings' colors and decorations before or after entering helps you notice each shop's distinct character.
How to Choose Asian Goods at Ubud, Mekong, and Pokhara Shops
The grounds have 3 shops: Ubud Shop, a Balinese market; Mekong Shop, a Vietnamese and Thai market; and Pokhara Shop, an Indian and Nepalese market.
Each shop has a different selection, so thinking in terms of things to wear, use at home, or display can make shopping easier.
Ubud Shop: Balinese Goods and Sitting Figurines
Ubud Shop, the largest shop on the grounds, is packed with goods sourced from Bali.
Its signature items are original “osuwari ningyō,” or sitting figurines; among their expressive faces, you might enjoy finding one that resembles you.
Compare expressions and colors when choosing a figurine, and picture where you would display it at home.
For a gift, considering the recipient's tastes and a size that fits in your luggage helps narrow down options that are hard to choose by appearance alone.
Mekong Shop: Thai Clothing and Aluminum Tableware
Near the center of the grounds, Mekong Shop sells clothing, bags, and pouches popular in Thailand, as well as glasses, bowls, and the aluminum tableware often seen in Thai restaurants.
There is also a wide selection of children's toys, making it a good place to look for souvenirs for kids.
Picturing the dishes you would serve on the tableware or the belongings you usually carry in a bag helps you choose items you will use after returning home.
Pokhara Shop: Regional Clothing and Incense
Pokhara Shop offers Indian and Nepalese goods, including regional styles of women's and men's clothing and around 120 varieties of Indian incense.
The red-earth-walled building was assembled in Japan using materials brought from the region, and inside you will find the scent of incense and Nepalese music.
Before buying, ask staff about anything the labels do not explain, such as clothing fit or how to use the incense.
When shopping during your trip, check both how to use a product and how easily you can carry it.
Here are points to check when buying and packing different types of goods.
| Type of Item | What to Check in the Shop | Packing Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | Fabric and washing instructions | How much space it takes up |
| Tableware | Intended use and handling | Protecting breakable items |
| Ornaments | Size and shape | Protecting protruding parts |
| Incense | Scent and directions for use | Preventing scent transfer to other items |
Lunch at Asian Restaurant Gaya-Gaya: Balinese, Thai, and Vietnamese Food
For a meal on the grounds, visit Asian Restaurant Gaya-Gaya for Balinese, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine.
This restaurant brings together the former Ubud Restaurant's Balinese dishes and Mekong Restaurant's Thai and Vietnamese dishes.
It is listed as opening at 11:00 a.m., with last orders at 3:30 p.m.
If the dish names are unfamiliar, use clues such as rice or noodles, and stir-fry or soup, to help you choose.
Nasi Goreng, Mie Goreng, and Pho: Popular Dishes and Prices
In Indonesian, “nasi” means rice, “mie” means noodles, and “goreng” means fried; nasi goreng is Indonesian fried rice, while mie goreng is a noodle dish stir-fried in a sweet and savory sauce.
Nasi goreng and mie goreng each cost 1,200 yen.
If you would like soup and noodles, chicken pho combines rice noodles with chicken broth for 1,000 yen.
Thai options include mildly spicy gapao rice, made with ground chicken stir-fried with basil, for 1,200 yen.
If you cannot decide, the Gaya-Gaya Set, at 1,680 yen, lets you choose 2 dishes from mie goreng, nasi goreng, gapao, massaman curry, and Coco-Chiki curry, served together on 1 plate.
Children's options include a curry dish made with a low-allergen curry base and kids' mie goreng, each priced at 650 yen.
After your meal, enjoy desserts such as pisang goreng, or fried banana, and coconut ice cream.
Check the current menu and prices at the restaurant before ordering.
Ask About Spice Levels and Ingredients You Need to Avoid Before Ordering
Gapao rice and tom yum pho are described as spicy dishes.
If you dislike spicy food or need to avoid certain ingredients, tell the staff before ordering rather than relying only on dish names or photos.
It is important to ask on the spot whether ingredients or spice levels can be adjusted.
If communication is difficult, pointing to a photo of the dish or showing a translation of the ingredients you wish to avoid can help explain what you need to check.
Make a Travel Keepsake with a Painting Activity at Asian Old Bazaar Nasu
A painting activity where you choose your own colors and patterns is a good way to add hands-on creativity to your shopping visit.
Decide what you would like to make, then check where to register and how to take part.
Paint a Sitting Figurine at Ubud Shop
At Ubud Shop, you can buy an unpainted wooden sitting figurine at the register and decorate it freely with borrowed pens.
Choose from a cat, rabbit, bear, or owl, with prices starting at 200 yen.
Pick your favorite animal or a shape suited to where you will display it, then plan its facial expression and patterns.
With family or friends, using the same colors or creating different looks gives you something fun to compare afterward.
Terracotta Painting at Pokhara and Balancing Dragonfly Painting at Mekong
Pokhara Shop offers terracotta painting on white ceramic shapes, while Mekong Shop offers balancing dragonfly painting; both cost 500 yen.
For terracotta painting, borrow painting pens, decorate your piece, and return the pens to the register when finished.
For the balancing dragonfly, buy a set containing a dragonfly, base, and eyes at the register, then color it at the designated seats; instructions say to glue on the eyes after taking it home.
Check the included parts and finishing steps, and plan how to carry your piece without damage on the journey home.
Fill a Jar with Mini Erasers at Pokhara Shop
Pokhara Shop also offers a mini-eraser jar-filling activity for 400 yen, using a designated jar.
Your jar is ready when the lid closes completely; after filling it, close the lid and take it to the register.
Registration is listed as running from 10:00 a.m. until closing, so you can join later than the sitting-figurine and terracotta painting activities.
Check Painting Activity Hours and Whether Reservations Are Needed
All the activities introduced here are listed as requiring no reservation, but registration may pause temporarily when busy.
Registration for sitting-figurine and terracotta painting runs from 10:00 a.m. until 30 minutes before closing.
Check the price and availability of your chosen activity in the shop, and choose according to your return transportation or next plans.
When joining with children, discussing which steps they will do themselves and where adults will help makes the activity easier to approach.
How to Get to Asian Old Bazaar Nasu and Opening Hours
You can reach Asian Old Bazaar Nasu by car or by combining a train journey with a local bus.
The address is 506-20 Tsumujigadaira, Yumoto, Nasu-machi, Nasu-gun, Tochigi Prefecture.
Shopping, meals, and activities have different service and registration hours, so plan around your main purpose.
By Train and Bus: Get Off at Morikozaka Bus Stop
From Nasushiobara Station on the JR Tōhoku Shinkansen or Kuroiso Station on the JR Tōhoku Main Line, take a Kantō Jidōsha bus toward Nasu Yumoto or Nasu Ropeway, get off at Morikozaka, and walk about 5 minutes.
The Tōhoku Shinkansen takes about 1 hour 15 minutes from Tokyo Station to Nasushiobara Station, and the bus from Nasushiobara Station to Morikozaka takes roughly 35 minutes.
After getting off at Morikozaka bus stop, you will see the war museum on your right and FamilyMart on your left; continue on foot from there.
Check Kantō Jidōsha's timetable for services and destinations on your visit date, and look up your return bus times in advance too.
Saving the bus stop and facility names on your smartphone lets you show them when boarding or asking for directions.
By Car: Check the Route from Nasu Interchange and the Parking Area
Driving directions use Nasu Interchange on the Tōhoku Expressway, and the facility has parking for 100 cars.
Allow about 20 minutes by car from Nasu Interchange; the drive from Tokyo is listed as taking about 3 hours.
When approaching from Nasu Interchange, look just beyond the FamilyMart Nasu Kaidō store.
Set “Asian Old Bazaar Nasu” as your destination on your map or navigation system, and check the route before leaving.
Asian Old Bazaar Nasu Opening Hours, Closing Days, and Activity Times
The shops normally open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., while Asian Restaurant Gaya-Gaya opens at 11:00 a.m., with last orders at 3:30 p.m.
There is no regular closing day, and the facility operates year-round, but temporary closures are announced on its official Instagram account.
Hours vary by season and temporary closures occur, so check opening announcements before visiting.
If you are coming for lunch or painting, check the following as well as the shops' closing time.
- Restaurant opening hours and last orders, normally 3:30 p.m.
- Registration deadlines for your chosen activity; registration for sitting-figurine and terracotta painting closes 30 minutes before the shops close
- Temporary closures or changes in hours on your visit date
Photography and Shopping Etiquette at Asian Old Bazaar Nasu
As you enjoy the buildings and goods, leave space for other visitors to shop and move around easily.
Follow shop notices and staff guidance on photography and handling products.
Ask Before Photographing Shop Interiors or People
If you want to photograph products or displays inside a shop, ask staff whether photography is allowed.
If someone will be the main subject of your photo, ask for their permission first, and be mindful of other people's faces appearing in the frame.
At the split gate or along walkways, a small change in where you stand to take a photo can help avoid obstructing the flow of visitors.
Handle Products and Activity Supplies with Care
If you are unsure whether you may pick up fragile-looking goods or open packaged items, ask first.
Before leaving an activity area, tidy the tools and your seat so the next visitor can use them comfortably.
When you have finished with borrowed painting pens, return them to the register as instructed.
Here are points to keep in mind when shopping or taking photos.
| Situation | What to Do | What to Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Photography inside a shop | Check whether photography is allowed | Photographing people without permission |
| Looking at products | Handle fragile items carefully | Opening packaging without permission |
| Photography on walkways | Consider where you stand | Blocking entrances or walkways |
| Taking part in an activity | Use tools carefully | Monopolizing tools or seats |
Enjoy Shopping, Asian Food, and Souvenir Painting at Asian Old Bazaar Nasu
Asian Old Bazaar Nasu is a free-entry stop where you can combine shopping for Asian goods with a meal or souvenir-painting activity.
Thinking about which shops interest you or what you would like to make, then checking opening and registration information and transportation, makes it easier to plan a visit that suits your trip.
Enjoy shopping and creating in Nasu while imagining how you will use your purchases or where you will display your finished piece.
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