byootaful

There aren’t many things in this world that can get me up before the sun rises, but this is one of them – the chance to visit one of Tokyo’s busiest fish markets, Tuskiji Fish Market. We rose at 5:15am to catch the train to the market, shivering in our jumpers and beanies. We’d never visited a fish market before, so we took the time to read the rules that were posted on the wall at the entrance:

	Do not enter areas restricted to authorized personnel!
	Do not obstruct traffic!
	Do not bring large bags or suitcases into the market!
	Do not take flash photography during the tuna auction!
	Do not enter the market in high heeled shoes or sandals!
	Do not bring small children or pets!
	Do not smoke in the market!
	Do not touch the fish!

That’s a lot of rules, but since the fish market is a functioning business area, it’s important that visitors don’t get in the way. Once you get in there, you’ve got to have your wits about you because the traffic is crazy busy! Workers shoot around on little turret trucks and navigating the tiny walkways can be difficult, since often it’s only wide enough for their truck to fit through.

If I could recommend the best footwear for this visit, I would suggest the cheapest pair of joggers you can find, since the ground is wet and dirty, with bits of fish and puddles of blood all over the place. I guess this makes sense since it’s a fish market, and men everywhere are gutting and cleaning all sorts of seafood. You’ll want to watch where you’re stepping!

There were so many stalls displaying every kind of seafood you can imagine, all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, I was feeling quite unwell since the previous day and the smell from the market was making me feel like I might throw up, so I handed my camera to Phill, wished him luck, and quickly departed.

I ended up sitting just outside the entrance for a while (on the freezing cement) and I must have looked a little strange because the crossing guard came over and asked me if I was okay. I smiled and said I was, I just needed some fresh air. He smiled at me and went back to work, directing the traffic in and out of the market and helping pedestrians cross the busy road. I eventually did make it back inside because I didn’t want to miss anything just for a yucky tummy!

While we arrived too late to catch the tuna auctions (5 – 6:15am) Phill was able to snap a photo of the huge frozen tunas scattered in the auction shed. It’s hard to see just how big they were but trust me, they were huge!

This freaky looking thing is an octopus, specifically a Matako, that is being rather ungraceful in this picture. Would you look at those suckers? I’d love to see one of these cooked, but I’d be too scared to try … and for about $AUD38, I can’t really afford to try!

Yummy squid! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a real squid before it’s been cleaned and gutted, so this was interesting, especially seeing the eyes and the wings on the top. Phill likes the “after” squid, once it’s calamari, not the “before” while it still looks fishy and can, well, look at him.

We were getting rather hungry by now, since we hadn’t had breakfast before leaving (seriously, who can eat at 5:15am? Not us!) so we wandered over to the a section of the markets which had restaurants. If you do visit the markets, you should definitely try to eat at one of these restaraunts because all of their fish is fresh, straight from the sea! We decided on one and headed inside, to be greeted by the very enthusiastic and cheerful owner.

The owner sat us down and started making cups of tea, all the while talking to us about the Japanese language. Little did we realise that we would have to sit through his Japanese language lesson in order to eat at his restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, he was friendly, but at the same time, a little overwhelming, especially since we were all still half-asleep.

Some of the group had the Sashimi, which were slices of tuna and a large prawn, served with rice noodles and a generous dollop of wasabi. They said it was the best sashimi they had ever tasted and I could understand that, since everything here was so fresh. The owner explained to us some simple Japanese sentences, like how to ask for things, or how to ask what something is. He even had lessons written down on paper, which he gave to us to take away.

Phill and I decided to have the Teriyaki Chicken – three skewers of moist chicken, served with rice. The owner showed Phill and I how to push the chicken off the skewers with our chopsticks to eat it, which was helpful since I wasn’t sure how to tackle skewers. I figured you wouldn’t just bite them off like you would in Australia! Both meals were served with a lovely warm tea, which we were grateful for since it was pretty cold.

We finished our meals and, after a few photos with the owner out the front of his restaurant, it was time for us to leave. It was a really good experience, visiting the fish market, and I wish I had been able to spend more time in there and see more of the seafood. It was definitely worth getting up before the sun!