If you ever plan on coming to Tokyo and are wondering about what you should do that second day when you’re suffering from major jet lag, I would highly recommend heading over to the Tsukiji Fish Market. Famous not only for the large amounts of Yen changing hands from sellers to buyers, you don’t want to miss seeing some of the world’s freshest and most expensive fish! My first reaction upon seeing the large tunas was “Oh wow that’s a huge torpedo!”
Since 1935, when Tsukiji Fish Market first opened, countless amounts of seafood, from the most inexpensive seaweed to the most expensive caviar as well as fish ranging from commonplace sardines to 300kg tuna and rare whale meat, have passed through the doors. The most expensive fish sold at Tsukiji as of today was in 2001 when a 440-pound tuna was auctioned off for a price tag of $220,000 USD. The most recent expensive tuna sold was to a Hong Kong based restaurant weighing in at 512-pounds of beautiful bluefin tuna for a sum of $177,000.
Fishermen from the Osaka area were originally invited by the Tokugawa Ieyasu to bring their catches to Tokyo, then known as Edo, to provide fish and seafood to the Emperor and his family at the Edo castle. The unsold fish were later taken to another location close by, the Nihonbashi bridge, to be sold to locals and restaurants in a wholesale atmosphere. After the Great Kanto Earthquake on September 1, 1923, the Nihonbashi fish market was destroyed, and the Tsukiji Fish Market we know today was created.
If you want to catch all the action which starts at 5:20am and runs until approximately 7am, the best time to go is when the first trains start to run; depending on where you stay, you might be catching the 4:30am train! However, even if you miss the auctioning action, there is still much more to see while wandering the stalls. I recommend checking with your hotel’s concierge if the market is open to the public, as there are times during the year when the viewing area at the auction is closed off to visitors due to the large amounts of fish coming in. By about 8am the action in the market dies down as most stalls are closing for the day and many of the fresh seafood has already been trucked off to restaurants.
After experiencing all this action and having your appetite whetted by all the fresh seafood, I recommend slaking your hunger by heading to one of the many 24-hour sushi restaurants just outside Tsukiji Fish Market. My personal favorite sushi restaurant is “Sushi-Zanmai” located at 4-3 Tsukiji 4 Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Prices range anywhere from $2-4 for one piece of sushi and you will have many to choose from. Yes, it is expensive, but the experience is worth what you are paying. Plus, how can you go to Japan and not sample some of the best sushi the country has to offer? In Canada, the go-to sushi everyone orders is salmon. Well, here in Japan, it’s tuna. So think about trying all the different tuna dishes. Since tuna is much more popular, you may be looking at spending about $3-5 for one piece.
Here are some other things I would like to suggest to/ warn you about if you do make it to Tsukiji. Even if you are visiting during the summer, I would advise you to bring a sweater or long sleeve shirt you can put on as you are literally walking into a giant freezer. Sneakers are highly recommended as the ground is almost certain to be wet. Also, take extra caution while walking. I am going to warn you now, the lifts being driven in Tsukiji are ninja fast and they will not slow down for anyone, unless you are carrying a very large tuna in your hands! Don’t bother getting angry at the drivers, since you, the visitor, are going into their place of business (and an expensive business at that!) Also be prudent when using your camera. It is good manners to ask before taking pictures, as some sellers may not want you photographing their wares and especially if workers are working with heavy duty, frozen tuna sawing equipment. When finished exploring Tsukiji and eating at a sushi restaurant, you’ll probably be done by about 9am latest. It’s key to remember is that businesses in Japan don’t usually start to open until 11am… so yes, Ginza is in a very close walking distance from Tsukiji (about 10 minutes) but other than coffee shops, nothing will be opened. Plan time to head back to your hotel or hostel, get cleaned up and rest before venturing back out again.
I guarantee that visiting Tsukiji will be worth it and the pictures you take and incomparable sushi will make your friends and family wish they were there with you.
For more information about Tsukiji Fish Market, check out their web page here.
[Source: Tsukiji Fish Market Home Page]
[Photos courtesy of flickr: jenlivingjapan]
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Jen, this was an excellent article! Besides wetting my palette and wanting fresh seafood, this is an experience that I want to see first-hand at least once in my lifetime! You’re so lucky to be in Japan experiencing all of these food wonders, I’m really happy you are able to share them with us.
As for the Tsukiji fish market in Japan, are there other ones in Japan besides this one? Also, can a regular commoner (or tourist) buy and enjoy the fresh fish on display? I don’t have a few thousand dollars to spare, maybe a hundred?!
Thanks Jing. I’m happy you enjoyed that. Very happy I can share some of the things that I’ve been able to experience while living here.
As to your question. Yes, you are able to buy right from the wholesaler. Most visitors don’t because they plan to stay out for the whole day, but after coming here there are parks in the area (a bit of a walk away, maybe 10-15 minutes) where you can bring a portable grill and cook up your fish and seafood. Or, like I mentioned, gong to one of the many sushi restaurants right next to the market is a good way to enjoy what you had just seen.
I just remembered that where the restaurants are you can also buy more seafood along with other foods. Just think Chinatown, that’s what it reminds me of!!
Great article jen! i’m so jealous! i wana go! hopefully sometime next year! the rate is crazy now!
Hey Steve! Come come!! It would be great to see you and catch up. If you do come we have to meet up. Hopefully I’ll be in the country at that time. Tentatively planning on heading back to the states once I get out for summer vacation.
Great piece, thanks for taking the time to write it. I like the direction you are taking your blog. Ill be subscribing to your blog in order to follow along down the road. Would like to see more posts soon.
Nice Share. i wanted to add your this post on my blog as i run my own blog to promote the same idea,i’m hiding it from other blog readers. hope we will keep connected in future.