I was just remembering a bit about a market in rural Yunnan where I found puffed rice.
When talking about China's frontier regions, I've been to bazaars held by Turkic peoples like Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
When I went to this market in Yunnan, the word "bazaar" came to mind, but I wonder if there's a specific term for it. Is "market" sufficient?
I had several reasons for going to Yunnan, and one of them was to see the rice terraces.
That day, I woke up before dawn to admire them, but then I was asked if I wanted to go to the market, so I decided to join.
We crossed mountains and valleys, and I had no idea where we were going, but we finally arrived at Laomeng Township in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture's Jinping Miao, Yao, and Dai Autonomous County.
We got stuck in a traffic jam and couldn't move for a while, so they told us to get out and walk.
In countries where Google Maps isn't available, I use a map app called MAPS.ME.
There weren't many people at what seemed like the destination.
I saw people enjoying long pipes that I'd never seen before, and then I saw them being sold, so they seem to be fairly common.
I also saw briquettes everywhere.
Perhaps they use charcoal for cooking instead of gas.
Despite this gas-less lifestyle, everyone was paying with WeChat Pay or Alipay.
I didn't see anyone paying with cash except for myself.
Putting aside reasons like a lack of trust in cash due to counterfeit money, encountering such a scene really highlights how far behind Japan is in terms of cashless payment adoption.
As of May 2024, there's news about new banknotes being introduced in July, but this market visit was in January 2019. Moreover, most of it was an open-air market, and all transactions there used QR codes. It certainly makes you think.
I thought it was empty, but then I realized it was full of people. It seems I was just early.
Looking at the cutting boards and kitchen knives, there are elements common to East Asian culture, but the differences between Japan and China are striking.
There, they hack with heavy, machete-like blades. That's why the cutting boards are made with the grain facing up to withstand them.
This difference also seems to exist in swords during combat. While one style involved hacking through bones, Japanese swords are characterized by their refined sharpness.
In terms of alcohol, it's like the contrast between aged Shaoxing wine with everything dissolved into it, and refined sake with its clean taste. This is just a typical comparison, of course.
Many people came to buy groceries.
I've seen live chickens being sold for those who want fresh chicken, and in the west, live sheep being traded, but here, cute piglets were being led away.
I'm sure they taste excellent.
Living in a Japanese city, I don't encounter such scenes, and I don't get a real sense of taking a life.
Here, the connection between life and food is still direct.
Outside the market, there was rice on top of a car window. Hoshiii (dried rice)?
Although we decided to head back, the car was still stuck in traffic and didn't arrive for a long time.
I remember that day, wondering if there was any place to stay if I was left behind, while leisurely basking in the sun.
