Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo Japan

 こんにちわ

Hi there stranger. My name is Yen and I'm your guide for the day. Today I will be bringing you to the infamous Tsukiji fish market.

Tsukiji fish market has been around for about 80 years now but they will be moving soon. The authorities have yet to announce the official date but it's plausible that the move will be sometime in May 2018. The new location will be somewhere 2km away from where it currently sits but apparently it will return to it's original spot within 5 years after redeveloping some of the ageing structure. So, if you haven't been there already and would like to visit before the relocation, you better get moving.

If you're one of those extremist who would want to try it all, you can visit the tuna auction in Tsukiji fish market. The only thing is, the number of visitors are limited to only 120 a day! You'll have to get this pass at Osakana Fukyu Centre when the "counter" is open at 5am but of course, imagine how early you'll have to be there to make sure you're the first 120 in line. From some other reference obtained online, even if you get there at 3.15am, it's still not early enough.

Apart from the tuna auction, there's this other thing you crazy people can do. Sushi Dai where 4000 yen can get you the sushi omakase experience. Again, it's something that will require you to get in line at like 3.30am. The shop can only fit about 12-13 pax each time and turnover time is probably 40 minutes? So even if you're there at 3.30am, you might only get to eat by 8am. That's 5 hours worth of waiting time.

So no thank you. I value my sleep and skipped all of that. I'm satisfied with the "mainstream" activites, strolling around the outer market and what not.

You'll get to see people selling fish (of course), knifes, dried stocks and etc. A very dangerous place for your wallet. We easily spent close to 4000 yen per pax, just on food.

Without further ado, let the food trail begin...

Tamago on a stick
There's a few shops that actually sell this. Who knows which is the most original one but the one we visited caught our attention just because we get to see the process of making it. Patience is key because the trick here is to cook it on low heat, layer by layer.

We ordered two variations, one with unagi slices in it and chilled. The other one is hot and fluffy with radish served on the top. My recommendation is to get the warm one, for sure.

Uni
Oh dear lord. The texture was so creamy (and so sweet!), I swear I thought I was having ice cream. This little bugger here was 1000 yen. Goddamnit why can't I get this in Malaysia, at this price.

Seafood bites
We couldn't help it. Grilled scallops topped with uni and a quick fire torch to sear it. Poached Japanese crab legs which to be honest, wasn't as succulent as I thought it would be. Selling price was 1000 yen each. Is this the usual market price or we just got ourself into some typical tourists trap?

Sushi
There's so many sushi restaurants within proximity and we were placed in a very difficult position to pick just one. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Really doesn't matter so as long we get our sushi fix.

Toro
From my very limited toro knowledge, all I know is that it's the fatty part of tuna and it's supposed to be melt in your mouth kind of thing. So we came across this stall and they were selling toro don & toro sashimi, might as well!

To be honest, at this point, I was feeling kind of sick already. I didn't find it amazing but it would be a bias opinion coming from a full stomach.

Maguroyaki
Every meal has to be accompanied with dessert. So voila, maguroyaki. Crispy on the outside with a red bean paste filling. After all those savory, this definitely hits the spot.

Alright, that is all from me now because that was all the food I could manage to fit in my belly.

As usual, ending my post with a pointer or two. When you're done with Tsukiji fish market, make your way to Hamarikyu Garden that's about 10-15 minutes walk away. Ideal location to just chill and maybe burn off some of those extra calories consumed.