Getting Fishy in the Tsukiji Fish Market 築地市場

Location: Tsukiji Fish Market 築地市場, Tokyo 東京, Japan (Nippon) 日本

The Tsukiji Fish Market is an absolute must see for anyone traveling through Tokyo. Tsukiji is home to the largest wholesale fish market in the world (don't believe me, check the wikipedia article here) and it's the perfect activity for those of us who are incapable of conquering jet-lag (no matter how hard we try) as people begin bustling in the market as early as 3 AM and the action continues much later into the late morning. 

I left my hostel for the market at about 5 AM, in hopes of making it in time for the Tuna auction which begins around 5:20 AM. I followed the directions my Google research had warranted and met a nice Australian family who was headed in the same direction so we walked together. Naturally, my judgment on how long it takes to get somewhere was incredibly skewed and we arrived at the market around 6:15.

The outer layer of the market is filled with commercial trucks and dollies. People are crating around large quantities of various fish intended for mass distribution. There were hundreds of people also with small personal crates on wheels and insulated baggies to presumably carry fish back for their own personal use or for small restaurants. I almost got hit by a couple different vehicles as these people are here doing their job and are not really interested in those of us walking around with a video camera plastered to our face. Walking inside the market did not help matters much at all.

I'm sure I saw a VERY small portion of the entire market. I never found the tuna auction, though I'm fairly certain it was completed before I arrived because I found row upon row of frozen marked tuna lying in the streets awaiting new owners to come claim them. I walked up an down the aisles mesmerized for about an hour (sort of forgot I was supposed to get on a plane a couple hours later) and took pictures and videos of everything from sardines to octopus, crabs, lobsters, puffer-fish, swordfish and even whale. Most of the fish were still alive and were displayed in buckets, aquariums and in styrofoam boxes filled with ice. I watched 300 pound tuna be sawed into pieces by large Japanese men. I saw live eels be sliced into pieces. I watched hundreds of fish head chopped right off their bodies. I stumbled upon a crate of live crabs which had already been prepped for cooking (including being dipped in oil and then breading). I watched a flailing octopus be murdered as a guy picked it up and stuck a knife right in it's head. Serious stuff people. This is not an activity for the faint of heart (or the vegetarian) as I'm not easily offended by animal killing/eating, but this was borderline too much for me.

After wandering through the aisles with the countless other tourists, the next stop was to try some sushi in one of the many sushi huts located less than 100 yards from the main market. These shops specialize in the freshest sushi possible and many of them will kill the fish right in front of you before you eat it. When it comes to eating sushi, it doesn't get more raw than that! However, I wasn't the only person with the grand idea, and the lines for the shops were 30-40 people long each. Unfortunately, I had a plane to catch and wasn't able to partake.

But I did steal a peek at one of the menus. Most of the ingredients were normal, but there was a plethora of oddities like whale shark, orca and sea cucumber. Most of the people there were tourists and the prices are a bit high, but I find it to be one of those things that may just be worth it. I talked to a girl who was eating a piece of sashimi whale, and I think she definitely agreed - though this isn't something for the everyday, it's definitely something that must be tried. Unfortunately, she said, she couldn't enjoy the whale because she couldn't stop picturing Free Willy jumping over the breakwater and right into her mouth. Yuck.

Logistics crap:
Take the Tokyo Metro Toei Ōedo (都営地下鉄大江戸線) Line (E) to stop 18 Tsukijishijō Station (築地市場駅) (Tokyo Metro Map - English)
Exit station, walk straight, fish market will be on your left.
Open Monday - Saturday 3AM-1PM Except some Wednesdays and Holidays
Check The Tsukiji Market Homepage for more up to date opening information

Want More information? Check out the following links:

• Tokyo/Chuo area on Wikitravel.org 
• Tsukiji Fish Market on Wikipedia.org 
• The Tsukiji Fish Market homepage (English) 
• The Tsukiji Fish Market - Japan-guide.com 

Check out all of my pictures from the Tsukiji Fish Market on Flickr

Comments

[trading for a living]

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trading for a living