Our first day in Tokyo started at 2:30 am...
After meeting our tour guide on a surprisingly busy street corner we headed to the world's largest wholesale fish and seafood market, Tsukiji Fish Market. The market handles over 2,000 metric tons of seafood per day from tiny sardines to 660 pound tuna; and sells everything from the cheapest seaweed to the most expensive caviar. The hustle and bustle of the market was incredible and a distinct sensory overload caused me to forget that I should've still been asleep.
The market itself is divided into two sections: the inner market and the outer market. Each day, seafood is shipped to the inner market from around the world by boat, truck, and plane. The fish is auctioned off to licensed participants and, in some cases, processed in stalls onsite. The outer market is a mixture of wholesale shops peddling Japanese kitchen tools, restaurant supplies and groceries; combined with many restaurants selling the freshest sushi in the world.
A day at Tsukiji Fish Market:
3:00 am - 5:20 am The market opens with the arrival of seafood from around the world. Auction houses and wholesalers prepare the products for auction and give each item an estimated value. During this period, licensed bidders inspect the seafood and decide which fish they would like to later bid on.
5:20 am - 7:00 am The various auctions commence—everything from the smallest seafood to the largest (and most exciting) tuna catches. The licensed bidders are comprised of market stall owners and agents acting on behalf of various restaurants or retailers.
7:00 am - 1:00 pm The purchased fish is either loaded onto trucks and shipped to the next destination, or taken on carts to the various rented stalls within the market. In the stalls, shop owners cut and prepare their fish using elaborate saws, knives, and picks.
1:00 pm The market is closed for cleaning and everyone returns home before waking up early the next morning to repeat the day's events.
The Inner Market
Delivery at 3:00 am
Bidders inspecting the small fish before the auction
Fugu, or pufferfish, are very poisonous and can be deadly if not prepared properly.
Small fish auction
After the auction, carefully preparing his winnings.
Unloading the highly coveted blue fin tuna
Frozen tuna
Before the auction, bidders inspect and choose their favorite.
Fresh tuna
Bidders waiting around for the exciting tuna auction, which can get bids up to $10,000/fish!
Mr. Frugasan, a top Tokyo sushi chef, and his $4,000 tuna.
Post-preparation
After the excitement ended and the sun came up, we were finally able to appreciate the inner market's massiveness.
Our helpful, informative, and...precious tour guide.
The Outer Market
Japanese knives you can't get from an infomercial.
3 comments:
I feel so sorry for the tuna. They don't have a chance!
Wonderful choice of music and I'm still jealous.
That tour guide is most precious.
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