Tsukiji Fish Market

My mom came to visit in April and our plan was a 5 day road trip around my island. Our road trip was preceded by three days in Tokyo, the highlight being Tsukiji Fish Market. Tsukiji is the world's largest fish market and occurs six days a week. One of the main attractions of the market is the tuna auction, in which hundreds of massive tuna are auctioned at rapid fire speed. The tuna auction was our first stop in the market as it starts at 5:30 AM. Before the auction officially starts all the authorized buyers meander through the warehouse sizing up the selection. Each buyer seemed to have his own method of evaluating the tuna. Some poked with pick-axes, some rubbed the flesh, some tore off chunks and tasted it, all the while taking meticulous notes of their findings. There was such an eerie feel about the room. The hundreds of bulging tuna were laid out in neat little rows and their frozen bodies were enshrouded in foggy haze. There was hushed chattering and the mood was serious.

After the tuna have all been auctioned off they are hauled out of the warehouse to the authorized wholesale dealers in other parts of the market. Here the tuna are butchered and sold to restaurateurs.

But tuna isn't the only kind of fish sold at the market. Thousands of different kinds of fish and seafood can be found. Seeing row after row, and stall after stall with overflowing buckets of seafood I had to wonder; how can our oceans support this? Simply put, they can't. But I see no sign of Japan's populace slowing down or reducing their consumption levels. This market has been around for hundreds of years, and I imagine it will continue to operate until there are literally no fish left in the sea.





After touring the market we had a sushi breakfast at a famous sushi reatuarant just outside the gates of the market. It was a tiny little establishment that held no more than twenty people. Despite it's small size it had quite a reputation and there was a line outside the restaurant before 9 AM. It definitely stood up to its reputation. It was the most delicious sushi I've ever had.