No visit to Tokyo is complete without a trip to the Tsukiji Fish Market, the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world.
Gaining access isn’t easy, though, especially to the “inner” quarters. Because it’s still a working market most visitors are restricted, but there are a few ways to get at least a peek inside, one of which is as a student on a tour.
However, the best way to penetrate the “inner” quarters is by lining up for the famous tuna auction. Entry here is on a first-come, first-served basis to only 140 people a day. The notorious line to enter starts when the market opens at 3 a.m. Many get turned away, but if you line up early enough you’ll gain access to the market and witness an array of tunas so large they have to be forklifted! The auction is a fascinating spectacle with thorough examinations of the fish followed by animated bidding.
On the walk to the special tuna auction room, you’ll be privy to a flurry of activity: weighing, cutting, shipping and haggling. Do be respectful and careful not to get in the way of busy fishmongers!
The outer market is much more welcoming. Kitchenware shops and fresh sushi restaurants are plentiful, the most famous of which is Sushi Dai. Just don’t go expecting to eat quickly–the line there starts at 5 a.m. and rivals the one for the tuna auction.
(Main image: Taryn Adler)
