June 16--Tsukiji Fish Market

I woke up this morning to pouring rain. This is the morning that several of us have decided to get up early and go to the Tsukiji Fish Market, the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. Why am I leaving at 5:30 a.m. to look at dead fish? Good question. Well, first of all, I'm already awake anyway--still adjusting to the time change. And second, I've been told that the market and the tuna auction are well worth seeing, so here we go!

Four of us decided to take a taxi instead of doing the subway and it took us right to the market. Next problem--where's the auction? This is truly a HUGE place and so we wandered around for quite a while, looking at the different types of seafood everywhere and taking lots of pictures. We tried to ask several times--"Auction?" or "Sale?"--but apparently we weren't understood because we were guided in several different directions. Finally we saw a sign for visitors and this was the auction. There were huge tunas lined up on the floor, men inspecting them, and several auctioneers. Of course, we couldn't understand what he was saying but I'm glad that we found it. But actually, I thought that the rest of the market was more interesting--squirming eels, swimming fish, octopi, squid, fish of every type! And it would have been very easy to get run over by one of the carts--they definitely have the right of way. It was wet and a little smelly, but I'm glad that I went!