Tsukiji Fish Market

In south east of central Tokyo, there is the biggest fish market in Japan; Tsukiji Fish Market. Varieties of fishes are brought in from Tokyo Bay, and are auctioned every morning. The market is sometimes regarded as the kitchen of Tokyo because of its amount of sales. It is also a popular site for tourists.

Tsukiji fish market opened in 1935. According to their statistics, in 2005 they sold the average of 2,140 tons or 1,753,000 yen of fishes in a day. Auctions start at 5 a.m. Wholesalers purchase fishes from auctioneers there. Then, they proceed the fishes by peeling the skin off and removing bones. They open a block of small store inside the market, and sell their products to fish shops from all over Tokyo.

At Tsukiji market, tourists are not allowed to watch fish auctions. Instead, they can watch hundreds of fish sellers proceeding and selling their products. You can visit them freely, and even purchase their products cheaper than fish sellers in central Tokyo. The market is always crowded. It is free to take pictures. However, you should try not to bother those sellers. Also, you should avoid wearing expensive clothes since you are likely to get dirty out of water. Inside the market, there are souvenir stores and restaurants for tourists. At the restaurants, you can eat sushi with very fresh tuna and other fishes although there are always long lines in front of the restaurants.

There is a plan to move the fish market to the nearby area of Toyosu in 2012. The plan is not enforced yet because there is an argument toward the danger of soil in Toyosu which may contain various poisons.

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