Tsukiji fish market is quite famous among tourists to Tokyo for the vast wholesale of fish, in particular several hundred pound tunas. However, less known about Tsukiji is that all this sale of fresh fish means it is one of the best places to get extremely high quality sushi.
Within the market is small shopping area full of restaurants ranging from ramen to pizza. However, the freshly cut fish at the sushi restaurants are the main attractions.
The shopping area consists of about 10 small buildings on the northeast end of the market itself. There are a variety of sushi restaurants to choose from with in the whole complex, but some of the best ones are located in building number 6.
There are some points you need to remember though if you want to go for sushi at Tsukiji market.
- First, you will need to go in the morning for a sushi breakfast. Most of the restaurants open around 5 or 6 am and close in the middle of the afternoon. The good places form hour-long lines early.
- Second, you should be prepared to spend a good amount of money. It is easy to spend as much as 10,000 yen (about $100) for your sushi breakfast. However, it is worth the money.
- Third, it is best to ask for either the osusume (recommended) or omakase (chef’s choice) sets to get the best fish selections of the day.
After your delicious meal, feel free to explore the market.
Please remember to be respectful of the market though. Foreign tourists doing rude and dangerous things, such as touching the fish that is for sale, blocking lanes, and riding on transportation carts, has caused many problems for the market’s businesses. Some areas of the market may be off limits to tourists due to these problems.
Tsukiji market is closed on Sundays, often on Wednesdays, and on Japanese national holidays. The 2009 calendar can be found on the Tsukiji Gourmet website (in Japanese).
Check out more articles about Tokyo and the surrounding area by the Japan Travel Examiner
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