One of the places I was looking forward to visiting in Tokyo was the Tsukiji Fish Market, after having heard so much about it. Tsukiji Fish Market is best known as one of the world's largest fish markets, and starting from 4am every morning, the whole place would be bustling with loud bargaining voices as the auditions are carried out on all kinds of catch from the sea. As with most idealistic tourists, we had initially planned to reach the market by 5.15am so that we can make it for one of the two tuna auditions (60 people would be allowed entry each at 5.15am & 5.45am). BUT, the trains don't start that early and since we are quite far off from the market, we gave up the idea. =P We did reach early enough to tour the fish market and settled down for breakfast before the horrendous queues started though.
For us to get to Tsukiji Fish Market, we had to take the local JR Chuo Line to Shinjuku station, then change to the Oedo Subway Line. Subway Lines are not covered by our Suica cards, so we bought tickets from the ticketing machine for the first time in Tokyo. The machines were user-friendly with English option. Check out the price of the ticket you need from the destination map, tap on the correct fare, then select number of people on the left sidebar. Easy peasy.
Some people may think that Tsukiji Fish Market is located at Tsukiji station, but the correct station to get down is actually Tsukijishijo. Travelling time is 20 minutes from Shinjuku station. The fish market is right above the subway station. :)
This is what single-trip train tickets look like in Japan. Very miniature and cute, with all the travel details printed on it.
Walking into the fish market sale arena.
Wooden trolleys used to transport the crates of seafood.
Walking into the fish market was an eye-opener. Large signboards could be seen at every stall and there were hundreds of stalls all selling the freshest seafood you could possibly find. I didn't really see many tourists like ourselves - Most were restaurant owners making bulk purchases, and many looked like regular customers who knew the stall-owners very well. Even though this place was often mentioned as a popular tourist attraction, most of the stall owners didn't look too happy that we were taking photographs. I tried to be as discreet as I could, but hubby, with his huge DSLR, met with some resistance along the way - One aggressive stall owner even pointed a sharp knife at his chin to warn him not to take any more photographs. He must have gotten off on the wrong side of the bed that morning.
The fresh produce looked very fresh indeed. Good ingredient make good dishes - that's why everything we tasted in Japan was good, I suppose.
Check out the huge fish that the fishmonger was slicing up. Sashimi lovers would drool, for sure. The colour looked so good.
Weird-looking hairy crabs all covered in sand. I wonder why they didn't wash off the sand?
One of the things I enjoyed observing too, was the interactions between different people. I need to be less self-conscious and shoot whenever I saw something. Most of the time, I would be concerned the people would be offended. I mean, if I was being shot by a photographer, I would feel weird too?
Stall-owners having their breakfast after labouring for hours in the morning.
Pretty colourful crates outside the sale arena. We also saw many cartons and containers outside the market, and reckoned that the seafood would be packed, frozen and shipped off to another part of Japan or for export to the world.
Apart from the sale arena, you can find many restaurants and shops on the other side of the fish market. This is a must-do when you visit the Tsukiji Fish Market - Have a sumptuous sashimi breakfast there! Everything is mega fresh and delicious. Well, that's according to hubby. =P I don't take sashimi, but I did take a small bite and there was this burst of freshness and flavour from the ocean in my mouth (Not exaggerating). I didn't particularly enjoy it since I'm not a fan, but I can sort of understand why hubby is still thinking of it today.
This is one of the most famous restaurant there, as mentioned by several food bloggers who ate there before. Many people knew this obviously - this was where the queues first started. As the morning progressed, there were queues at every other restaurant as well. I should think that for a tourist, any of the restaurants there would have stunned us because you simply cannot find such freshness and flavours outside of Japan.
We didn't want to join the long queue at the most famous restaurant, so we went to the one next to it, which was also rather popular.
As you can see, the whole restaurant was extremely small. We even had to walk sideways with our backs on the wall to get to our seats.
Check this out. It's pure beauty.
And since I don't take sashimi, hubby ordered this fried prawns for me, which was the only non-raw item on the menu. They were HUGE, and came beautifully rested on a bed of crispy chilled lettuce salad. It was way too awesome. Such freshness, sweetness and firmness, I can reminiscence it over and over again. Amen.
I have to say, the portions were not big, and definitely left hubby craving for more of their wonderful sashimi, but cost is a major factor. Dining at Tsukiji Fish Market is not cheap at all, but of course, you are paying for high quality sashimi. Hubby kept chanting, 'So worth it. So worth it.' I half-suspected he was going mad.
It was a quick meal as there were too many people waiting in queues. We finished up our food, and went next door for a much-needed coffee!
The cafe was such a charming vintage little place. The owners were very friendly and kind. And I was glad, I was glad, I was glad that I ordered their butter toast to try. It was so, so good.
The elderly man behind the counter made good, aromatic coffee. I enjoyed it very much. :)
All toasts in Japan are thick toasts, and so fluffy & chewy.
It was such an enriching experience for us to be at Tsukiji Fish Market that morning, and I would strongly recommend a visit + a breakfast there. Before you leave, you can shop around and pick up some souvenirs for your family and friends.
Read the rest of my Tokyo entries
