Things you don't see at home every day - Tsukiji Market

Jet lag is great when you want to get up early! We woke up before 5 after our first night in Tokyo, and we were full of energy, so we decided to hop on the subway and go to Tsukiji Market, which I believe is the largest fish market in the world. We found our way easily enough (Brendan had checked it out on Google Street View, so he had a good idea which way we were going). And what a buzz! Crossing the street was a take-your-life-in-your-hands experience, with dozens of little gas scooters flying around the place! We didn't get there on time for the tuna auction. To be honest, we didn't even try to go there, as numbers are limited, and it is at times closed to the public. Although we were literally the only Western visitors there, so they probably would have welcomed us with open arms. But there was more than enough to keep us interested in the rest of the market. The market itself is located in a vast warehouse, where hundreds (900 according to Wikipedia!) of small wholesale businesses operate in what looks like chaos but is I'm sure very well organised. The place looks ancient, and it's scary to see electric cables and water running so close. And if you look above the shops, you'll see precarious-looking storage - think your granny's attic. Yet, it all survived recent earthquakes.

And the fish! Weird and wonderful fishes and seashells of all shapes, sizes and colours (though no parrot fish - we saw parrot fish in Harrod's a few years back). And watching the men cutting frozen tuna is something else - it takes 3 men, 2 to hold the tuna at the right angle, and one to cut it with a long saw.


We spent a few hours walking the aisles, avoiding the gas scooters flying through, admiring everything on display. After that, we were hungry. So we went in search of Sushi Dai. And I got to practise my basic Japanese - "Sumimasen, Sushi Dai wa doko desu ka?" But that's a whole other story.