Even if you cannot make it to the tuna auction at Tsukiji fish market, still you can enjoy the market enough. Tsukiji market has wholesalers' area and outer market area, and the area is about 32 soccer fields. Almost 1000 wholesalers and brokers trade here, and more than 500 shops are here. The market is like a labyrinth, so leave your big luggage in the locker first. Please remind, no smoking, no touching the fish, ask the shop staff if you want to take pictures. Let's go inside the market.
Tsukiji market is the biggest in the world as fish market. To seafood, vegetables and fruits intermediate wholesalers' area, the visitors can enter after 9:00 am. All kinds of seafood are here, lots of them are traded and sent to the supermarkets and restaurants in Tokyo from the distribution center in the market. This market is like a small town, there are restaurants and shops, even a bookstore, and a medical clinic as well.
If you are lucky, you might able to see cutting up a whole tuna and filleting it with long knife. Also, you will see minus 70 degree freezers, swimming see eels in a bucket, tuna waste collection vehicles, and so on.
Did you know? The sparerib parts of tuna are very delicious, I like them very much.
Outer market area is also interesting, there are many kinds of restaurants and shops. You can come to the outer market area at any time.
This is kitchen knife shop, they can also sharpen your knife. The long one in this photo is for tuna cutting.
These are raw wasabi (Japanese horseradishes) at a vegetable shop.
This is whale shop, we have a long history with whales. The one you can see in front is tooth of a whale, which I could not believe.
And a bean shop. You can try tasting beans here.
Tsukiji fish market has shrines, too. In this shrine, there are mounds for seafood. We have to kill sea creatures to eat them, and we worship them to heel their souls.
Tsukiji Fish Market
Address: 5-1-2, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo.
http://www.tsukiji.or.jp/english/
http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm
http://www.tsukiji.or.jp/english/
http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm
Visit in the morning to enjoy the market, wholesaler areas mostly closed after 11:00 am.
Experience Japan!