One of the first things that come to mind when people think of Japan is Sushi. Exquisitely fresh sushi! My mouth waters just thinking of it. But I must admit, before moving to Japan I thought I was a connoisseur of fine sushi, i.e. "California Rolls" and I wasn't too fond of sashimi. Boy, did I have the wrong way of thinking when it came to sushi . Let’s just say the Japanese blew my mind!
So, I did a little research on where I could find the freshest sushi on the island. I mean, after all, when in Rome, eat as the Roman's do. I found the largest fish market in the Tokyo. The World Famous Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場, Tsukiji Shijō) in the Chuo district. It holds an incredible Tuna Auction when the sun rises with FREE admission. Yes, I said FREE! But there is a small catch. Entrance is based on first come, first serve basis. And they only allow a little over 100 people at two groups of 60. So needless to say, I went to bed early the night before to catch the train to arrive at the fish market around 3:00 am in the morning. The auction starts a little after 5:20am lasting about 20 minutes long. If you missed that one, no worries, because there is another tour at 5:45 to about 6:00 am. This would be perfect for someone who is traveling from the U.S. and is too jet lagged to go to sleep right away.
The show started promptly on time, as merchants from all over come to inspect the huge tuna checking for good color and size. The best part: Seeing the huge fish being placed in rows to be examined. The auction started with some guy ringing a bell for over a minute to begin the process. I couldn’t fully understand what was being said but I gathered that a lot of money was being passed around as Tuna after Tuna was dragged off to be tonight’s dinner.
Ok, so I lied. There’s actually a better "best part". After completing the auction and walking tour, some of the fish was being sold right outside the market. That’s right, you can get the catch of the day in Sashimi style or added to your favorite flavor of delicious ramen for about 500- 800 yen per sushi. Once my belly was full of melt in you mouth sushi I realized it was still so early, but before I headed out for the rest of my Japanese adventure, I stopped in front of the market and purchased some chop sticks. They also sold beautiful sushi plates and sashimi knives, so make sure you pick some of those on your way out.