When given the choice between breakfast and more sleep, I ALWAYS pick more sleep. The one exception is when I am in Tokyo.
Tsukiji Fish Market is located right on the edge of Tokyo Bay where ships can pull up right alongside and deliver their precious loads of Tuna daily. This starts a frenzied chain reaction from an early morning Tuna auction (circa 5am), to the slicing and dicing of the fish (nothing goes to waste) and ending with a satisfying sushi breakfast (burp). Apparently 90% of the fish eaten in Tokyo comes through this market.
My first visit to this fabled market was with D Guy (of course) a few years ago during our first pilgrimage to the Tokyo Motor Show. We made our way to the Tsukijishijo Station on the Oedo Line in the wee hours of the morning when the early rays of dawn were just breaking. The station is right outside the market and if you don't know which exit to use, just follow the guys in the rubber boots. Don't be fooled by the Tsukiji Station on the Hibiya Line, it is somewhat of a longer distance away.
This time around (my fifth to be exact), I took P Girl (who has not been to Japan since World Expo '85) to sample some daybreak sushi. This morning was particularly busy as the little one-man trucks with bumper car agility sped around the narrow alleys at breakneck speeds. The resulting rush of adrenaline kept us on our toes building up our appetite for the feast to follow.
Visitors to Tsukiji should take their time exploring this fan-shaped market. The narrower lanes are less hectic sans the motorized trucks and offer a fascinating array of seafood that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Amazing varieties of prawns, shellfish, crabs waving from sawdust-filled boxes, eels, and anything else you can name can be found here.
The rows of sushi stalls are just outside the fish market and the most famous, (by virtue of their place in popular guide books) sport long waiting lines. No prizes for guessing which ones.
I believe there is a trade-off between food quality and time. No matter how good a sushi place is, if you are situated outside Tsukiji, you can be 99.9% sure that the fish is FRESH! Therefore, we chose a place two rows away and were seated immediately. Consuming significant amounts of raw fish at an early hour can be a shock to anyone's system. I recommend helping your body cope by ordering "Nama-biru". This will set you right instantly. Saying "Nama-Biru Hitotsu" brought me a glass of the coldest and best draft beer I have ever had at 8am in the morning. P Girl wisely (for both of us) decided to share my glass.
If you are still standing after this feast (the food pictured above is for one), the neighbouring stores offer opportunities to purchase all the equipment you ever needed to set up your own sushi bar. From sushi knives, to tableware, to Chef's "happy coats", to those little curtains that make your patrons bow when entering your establishment. The world is your oyster if you can pack it all in your bag without getting arrested.
P Girl (now named Old Tokyu Hand) did show me a new perspective on Tsukiji. After our little tour, we took a 15-minute walk to Carretta Shiodome, a newly created city district, to try to work off the rice and the alcohol. If you take the lift up to the "Sky Restaurants", there is a great aerial view of Tsukiji Market plus HamaRikyu Gardens, Odaiba and Tokyo Bay. You can even see the Rainbow Bridge in the distance and planes heading for Haneda Airport.
If you are a foodie, a trip to this market is a must. No one can claim to have suffered for their passion until they have dined on early morning sushi at Tsukiji. Btw, the market is apparently closed on Sundays. Take note to avoid disappointment.
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