I can’t remember the last time I willingly got out of bed at 3:30 in the morning. However, seeing as the recommended time to go to the Tsukiji Fish Market was between 4:30-5:30am, I had no choice but to forgo my sleep in order to catch some of the action!

Tsukiji is apparently one of the largest markets in the world. I read that on average they get 3,000 tons of fish each morning, selling 2.8 billion yen worth by the end of the day. Very impressive!

Anyway, I think I was sleepwalking all the way to the train station early that morning. We took the first train out of Shinjuku and got to Tsukiji around 5:00am. We actually had no idea where the market was. I thought that since it was tourist spot that there would be signs indicating the direction. Well, I was wrong. We couldn’t even sniff the air to follow the ‘fishy’ scent to the market! I think we ended up following a crowd of foreigners there, which was a smart idea, because no one else in their right mind would be traveling out at this hour!

The market didn’t really look like a market from the outside. It seemed more like a warehouse until you approach it and begin to see the individual stalls that sold seafood. There were tons of stalls up at the front, selling anything from fish to octopus to shrimp to crabs. There was even this crate filled with fish eyeballs! Needless to say, not a sight for those with a weak stomach in the mornings!

Surprisingly the market didn’t smell terrible. I think in part it was because a lot of the fish were still frozen, but also because they keep the market quite clean.

It was definitely busy as we approached the back where the auctions were. I had to keep moving to avoid getting hit by trucks transporting fresh fish, or from the carts being wheeled by people who didn’t care if they’d run you over. You couldn’t pause for too long in one location cause you were bound to be in someone’s way. The auctions were quite lively and there was a tourist entrance which allowed you to get a good glimpse of it all. All the fish were laid out in rows on the ground and buyers would be walking around inspecting the fish and bidding on the ones they like.

I was thoroughly fascinated by the different sizes of fish and the variety they had. I was trying to snap as many pictures as I could while making sure I wasn’t in anyone’s way. It was quite interesting to see how the entire process worked.

Afterwards we stopped by the outer market, which sold a mixture of things like regular groceries, kitchen tools and restaurant supplies. As we made our way further, we saw several restaurants with lineups already outside. We decided to get in line ourselves to try some fresh fish. The restaurant we went to I think was called Edo and it was really really tiny. It probably fit 12-15 people in at one time and everyone was practically sitting elbow to elbow down the counter. We waited our turn and got in. I ordered a bowl of toro chirashi, while my sister ordered a meguro chirashi. I don”t think I’ve ever had raw fish at 6:00am, but it was definitely a good end to the morning!

*****

It was still 7:00am when we were done eating, so with no place to go, we head back to the hotel to catch some sleep. Afterwards we woke up and headed off to Chiba for a little….side trip. Teehee.

*****

Coming back from Chiba, we stopped by Akihabara Electric Town briefly, before heading off to Roppongi Hills. The mall was just beautiful at Roppongi Hills. The escalator going up reminded me of Langham Place because of the glass windows at the side. I was mesmerized looking at the interiors of the mall, which was probably good because I wouldn’t be able to actually afford anything inside the stores! We passed by the Mori Art Museum and also saw the giant Louis Vuitton outside. We stopped and ate at the Soup Stock Tokyo, which had amazing soup.

*****

We were in Roppongi pretty much most of the night. We walked a bit at the Roppongi Intersection before meeting Mark for dinner at a ramen restaurant. It was long day by the end of it, but definitely well spent!