Tsukiji: Tokyo’s Largest Fish Market

With the love of Japanese people eating sashimi and sushi, Tsukiji Market is the largest fish market which you can find in Tokyo and even best known as one of the world’s largest fish markets that handles over 2,000 tons of marine products per day. Just imagine that load everyday. They sell not only fish but other products like fruits, vegetables, meat and others.

It has become a major tourist attraction and some of my friends like Sonia and Zhuyem of Costa Rica went there while we were attending a Young Leaders Forum in Japan in 2005. I failed to join them since I was not that keen to visit it but when I saw the pictures and videos, it was amazing and really worth to see. It’s very spectacular to watch the Tuna Auctions that happen very early in the morning.

With the inflock of numerous tourists in the market every morning, it has caused friction among the market workers and tourists for the interference or distractions created by a sheer number of spectators that is why they restricted it and designated a viewing area for the guests. Just last April 2008 they have designated 5am to 6:15am as public viewing time. They have set rules to follow such as no flash photography allowed.

The action usually starts at around 5 o’clock in the morning when buyers are admitted onto the showroom floor. Here, rows upon rows of frozen tuna are meticulously examined by expert hands in search of the highest quality meat. Soon after, the scene erupts into a panic of calls and responses as buyers seek to outbid one another for the choicest fish.

Tsukiji Market can be accessed from Shinjuku Station to Tsukijishijo Station by taking the Oedo Subway Line directly for 20 minutes and costs 260 yen.