Tsukiji Fish Market

A predawn Institution - Bring your Galoshes !

Jet Lag can be a wonderful thing. If you find yourself wide awake at 5 A.M. and in the mood for some predawn action, the cavernous wholesale Tsukiji Fish Market seethes with activity, as you would expect of a place that supplies 90 percent of the fish consumed in Tokyo. Wander this staggering market's side aisles; you won't believe some of the things considered edible, much less prized delicacies. In a country where fresh seafood reigns supreme, maguro (tuna) is king: fresh and frozen, torpedo-size tunas are hauled in from the fishing boats alongside the market's riverside piers or flown in from as far away as Africa. At any of the lightning-fast auctions that begin the day, as many as 190 tons of tuna can be sold, and one fish alone can weigh more than 1000 pounds. If you've worked up an appetite wandering the 50-acre market and are considering sashimi or sushi for breakfast, no one guarantees fresher fish nor a wider variety than the market's no frills sushi bars, such as Sushi Dai. They get high marks for local color too.

What : site, experience, restaurant.

Tsukiji Market: between Shin Ohashi Dori Ave. and the Submidagawa River.

When: open Mon-Sat; best hours are 5 A.M. - 7 A.M.

This market can be reached by taking a Hibiya metro line and getting down at H10 station.

Even though you are a vegeterian or vegan you need visit this market to see the orderliness and magnanimity.