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Early Morning Hustle of the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo
Published by Camilla Cheung, Writer
Country: Japan 
The Experience
A trip to the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo is a defining experience, and often a thought-provoking one. It is a hub for fish and sea life deliveries from all over the world, and the place to get the freshest sushi in Tokyo.
Watching rubber-booted fishermen with deft hands fillet, slice and clean fish of every variety, as well as sea urchins, eels, shellfish, and pretty much anything imaginable, is an intriguing sight. As you make your way around buckets and trays full of live sea life, this is not a place for the squeamish, or the vegetarian.
The Tsukiji Fish Market's crowning glory, as well as its bitter shame (depending on who you talk to) is the fresh tuna fish auction early in the morning. The tuna auction is now closed to foreigners, likely due to the backlash of public sentiment against the overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks. This gigantic fish, the king of the world's tuna varieties, is an awesome specimen of beauty and power.
The Atlantic bluefin is a tightly muscled creature with a “pineal window” on the top of its head⎯a kind of natural GPS navigational system guiding the fish across thousands of miles of ocean every year at 40 miles an hour. Not only that, but the tuna is able to use its metabolic heat to raise its body temperature above that of the surrounding oceans, making it one of the rare warm-blooded fish in existence. Their beautiful silvery skin and huge size (reaching over a 1,000 Ib) is another reason why Atlantic bluefin are so unique.
What makes Atlantic bluefin tuna such an apt symbol for the unique beauty and wildness of sea creatures⎯also makes it a prized food item in many countries. Japan consumes most of the world's shipments of Atlantic tuna.
The tuna's dense muscle structure and fatty underbelly make it one of the most sought fish for sushi. Different cuts from various parts of the fish have varying characteristics. The buttery and fatty underbelly, known as “otoro,” is a noted delicacy, fetching high prices in Tokyo's restaurants. The tuna underpins Japan's fishing industry, but hopefully a sustainable alternative is found soon. Like it or not, when the tuna stocks become depleted, even these fishermen will be out of a job.
The Tsukiji Fish Market has much more to offer besides just tuna. Pretty much any kind of sea life you could imagine has its stall here, such as live freshwater eels swimming in their tanks, vibrant scarlet red snapper, plump sea scallops, huge geoduck clams, and fat prawns.
The atmosphere is friendly as you head to the dozens of sushi restaurants that have sprung up around the Tsukiji Fish Market. Here you can get the freshest sushi in all of Tokyo at a fraction of the prices in downtown Tokyo. Sit around the cramped counter as your sushi chef expertly slices thin pieces of fish and lays them on top of rice. Opt for some slices of salmon, whitefish, mackerel or eel.
With your appetite sated, browse the extensive food market where Japanese housewives come to pick up their weekly supply of dried seaweed and other necessities. This is daily life, with fishermen making their living and housewives buying daily goods.
Watching rubber-booted fishermen with deft hands fillet, slice and clean fish of every variety, as well as sea urchins, eels, shellfish, and pretty much anything imaginable, is an intriguing sight. As you make your way around buckets and trays full of live sea life, this is not a place for the squeamish, or the vegetarian.
The Tsukiji Fish Market's crowning glory, as well as its bitter shame (depending on who you talk to) is the fresh tuna fish auction early in the morning. The tuna auction is now closed to foreigners, likely due to the backlash of public sentiment against the overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks. This gigantic fish, the king of the world's tuna varieties, is an awesome specimen of beauty and power.
The Atlantic bluefin is a tightly muscled creature with a “pineal window” on the top of its head⎯a kind of natural GPS navigational system guiding the fish across thousands of miles of ocean every year at 40 miles an hour. Not only that, but the tuna is able to use its metabolic heat to raise its body temperature above that of the surrounding oceans, making it one of the rare warm-blooded fish in existence. Their beautiful silvery skin and huge size (reaching over a 1,000 Ib) is another reason why Atlantic bluefin are so unique.
What makes Atlantic bluefin tuna such an apt symbol for the unique beauty and wildness of sea creatures⎯also makes it a prized food item in many countries. Japan consumes most of the world's shipments of Atlantic tuna.
The tuna's dense muscle structure and fatty underbelly make it one of the most sought fish for sushi. Different cuts from various parts of the fish have varying characteristics. The buttery and fatty underbelly, known as “otoro,” is a noted delicacy, fetching high prices in Tokyo's restaurants. The tuna underpins Japan's fishing industry, but hopefully a sustainable alternative is found soon. Like it or not, when the tuna stocks become depleted, even these fishermen will be out of a job.
The Tsukiji Fish Market has much more to offer besides just tuna. Pretty much any kind of sea life you could imagine has its stall here, such as live freshwater eels swimming in their tanks, vibrant scarlet red snapper, plump sea scallops, huge geoduck clams, and fat prawns.
The atmosphere is friendly as you head to the dozens of sushi restaurants that have sprung up around the Tsukiji Fish Market. Here you can get the freshest sushi in all of Tokyo at a fraction of the prices in downtown Tokyo. Sit around the cramped counter as your sushi chef expertly slices thin pieces of fish and lays them on top of rice. Opt for some slices of salmon, whitefish, mackerel or eel.
With your appetite sated, browse the extensive food market where Japanese housewives come to pick up their weekly supply of dried seaweed and other necessities. This is daily life, with fishermen making their living and housewives buying daily goods.
When to Go to Tsukiji Fish Market
The Tsukiji Fish Market is located just a short walk from the Tsukiji subway station.
If you want to see the Tsukiji Fish Market in action, head over there early as the market begins to wind down at around 9-10 a.m. The tuna auction takes place at 5 a.m., but foreigners are not permitted to witness this controversial event.
If you want to see the Tsukiji Fish Market in action, head over there early as the market begins to wind down at around 9-10 a.m. The tuna auction takes place at 5 a.m., but foreigners are not permitted to witness this controversial event.
Odds n' Ends
You'll notice that tuna is the most popular form of sushi in Tokyo, but if you care about the species survival, you may wish to avoid it.
Overfishing of tuna stocks becomes more and more of a pressing global concern, and a huge change looms on the horizon. Global stocks of Atlantic bluefin tuna are in increasing danger; especially since the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico decimated one of the bluefin's only breeding grounds.
Some fish farms in Japan are now experimenting with farming “sustainable” tuna raised from artificially hatched eggs, although the majority of the tuna consumed is still caught in the wild. Bluefin tuna, as the largest species of tuna, also harbours higher levels of mercury than other, smaller kinds of fish.
There are, of course, many other types of sushi and sashimi that you can choose from with a visit to the market.
Be courteous that the Tsukiji Fish Market is the territory of the fishermen who conduct their daily business there. They are very gracious and tolerant of being the photo fodder of tourists hanging around. You'll need to be alert and jump out of the way when fishmongers drive quickly down the aisles with forklifts full of crates. Smile and say hello!
Overfishing of tuna stocks becomes more and more of a pressing global concern, and a huge change looms on the horizon. Global stocks of Atlantic bluefin tuna are in increasing danger; especially since the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico decimated one of the bluefin's only breeding grounds.
Some fish farms in Japan are now experimenting with farming “sustainable” tuna raised from artificially hatched eggs, although the majority of the tuna consumed is still caught in the wild. Bluefin tuna, as the largest species of tuna, also harbours higher levels of mercury than other, smaller kinds of fish.
There are, of course, many other types of sushi and sashimi that you can choose from with a visit to the market.
Be courteous that the Tsukiji Fish Market is the territory of the fishermen who conduct their daily business there. They are very gracious and tolerant of being the photo fodder of tourists hanging around. You'll need to be alert and jump out of the way when fishmongers drive quickly down the aisles with forklifts full of crates. Smile and say hello!
Want a Guide?
- Tsukiji Fish Market Guided Tours
- Our guided tours are led by professional guides who possess a wealth of knowledge about the Tsukiji Fish Market.
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- Tourists banned from famous Tokyo tuna auctions at world's biggest fish market (newspaper)
- Tsukiji Fish Market the largest fish market in the world - has emerged as a cult tourist attraction in recent years, with as many as 500 visitors arriving before sunrise every day in order to witness a daily tuna auction.
- A Seafood Drama, From Start to Fin (newspaper)
- At 5 a.m., about 40 tourists were already ahead of us, squeezed into a roped-off aisle and surrounded by more than a hundred frozen tuna.
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