A dawn visit to the vast Tokyo Central Wholesale Market ,
on the edge of Tokyo Bay, some 2km southeast of the Imperial
Palace, is one of the highlights of any trip to Tokyo and is a must
for raw-fish fans, who can breakfast afterwards on the freshest
slices of sashimi and sushi.
Covering 56 acres of reclaimed land south of Ginza, the market
is popularly known as Tsukiji (Reclaimed Land), and has been
here since 1923. The area it stands on was created in the wake of
the disastrous Furisode (Long Sleeves) Fire of 1657. Tokugawa
Ieyasu had the debris shovelled into the marshes at the edge of
Ginza, thus providing his lords with space for their mansions and
gardens. In the early years of the Meiji era, after the
daimyo had been kicked out of the city, the city authorities
built a special residential area for Western expats here. The
market relocated to this area from Nihombashi after the 1923
earthquake. There's talk of another move around 2015; the ward
office Chuo-ku is not in favour of this plan, but Tokyo
Metropolitan Government is, and various locations across the bay
are being debated.
Emerging from Tsukiji subway, you'll first notice the Tsukiji
Hongan-ji , one of the largest and most Indian-looking of
Tokyo's Buddhist temples. Pop inside to see the intricately carved
golden altar and cavernous interior with room for a thousand
worshippers. From the temple, the most direct route to the
market is to continue along Shin-Ohashi-dori, crossing
Harumi-dori (the route from Ginza) and past the row of grocers and
noodle bars. On the next block lies the sprawling bulk of the
market. Every day, bar Sundays and public holidays, 2300 tonnes of
fish are delivered here from far-flung corners of the earth. Over
four hundred different types of seafood come under the hammer,
including eels from Taiwan, salmon from Santiago and tuna from
Tasmania. But, as its official title indicates, fish is not the
only item on sale at Tsukiji, which also deals in meat, fruit and
vegetables.
The auctions, held at the back of the market, aren't officially
open to the public, but no one will stop you slipping in quietly to
watch the buyers and sellers gesticulating wildly over polystyrene
crates of squid, sea urchins, crab and the like. The highlight is
the sale of rock-solid frozen tuna, looking like steel torpedoes,
all labelled with yellow stickers indicating their weight and
country of origin. Depending on their quality, each tuna sells for
between ¥600,000 to ¥1 million. At around 7am, Tokyo's
restaurateurs and food retailers pick their way through the day's
catch on sale at 1600 different wholesalers' stalls under the
crescent-shaped hangar's roof.
Sloshing through the water-cleansed pathways, dodging the
ta-ray mini-motorized trucks that shift the produce around,
and being surrounded by piled crates of seafood - some of it still
alive - is what a visit to Tsukiji is all about. If you get
peckish, head for the outer market area (Jogai Ichiba), which is
crammed with sushi stalls and noodle bars servicing the 60,000
people who pass through here each day. Good choices include
Daiwa Zushi , open from 5.30am, which is actually within the
market, while Tatsuzushi and the more expensive
Sushisei are in the block of shops between the market and
Tsukiji Hongan-ji. Expect to pay around ¥2000 for a set course.
The closest subway station to the market is Tsukiji (on
the Hibiya line), but if you want to witness the frantic auctions
that start at 5am you'll have to catch a taxi or walk to the
market. If you can't make it that early, it's still worth coming
here; the action in the outer markets continues through to
midday.