An Insider guide to Tokyo's Tsukiji fish Market

Caterer Reiko Yoshikawa points us toward her favorite parts of Tsukiji market.

In normal times, Tokyo’s world-renowned Tsukiji wholesale fish market is crowded with gawping tourists out for an early-morning glimpse of the colorful tuna auctions and a taste of fresh-from-the-ocean sushi for breakfast. However, the March 11 earthquake and tsunami mean things in Tsukiji are now anything but normal.
On my recent visit, two weeks after the earthquake, I was the first visitor many traders had seen since the disaster. People went out of their way to welcome me and took my being there as a sign that life as they used to know it might return and, along with it, the crowds of pesky tourists.
For my stroll around the post-March 11 Tsukiji, I was joined by Reiko Yoshikawa, a caterer who uses the market as the main food source of her business, and we took a look at what insiders truly love about Tokyo’s celebrated market.

Peering inside 

“Tsukiji has a wide variety of the best of the best, including vegetables, fruit, beef, poultry and of course, fish -- the specialty stores also make it unique,” says Reiko.

Yoshikawa visits Takako Fujimoto, the owner of Fujimoto Shoten, a vegetable shop in the outer market.

The market as a whole is split between the inner market, Jonai Shijo, and the outer market, Jogai Shijo. The inner market, where the fish is auctioned, gets going around 3 a.m., with the busiest time between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. By 9:30 a.m., the business for the day is over at a time when most folk are only just starting work.
The oft-overlooked part of Tsukiji is the outer market. This area surrounds the fish sales and sells a mix of seasonal fruit and vegetables, kitchen utensils and kitchenware, beans, spices, meat, knives and fish. It is open from 6 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. There is no bargaining and almost all payments are cash.

Melon farmers can't wait for the daily auction of their pricey pickings.

Tourists are usually unaware of the high-end melon auction, which takes place at 9:30 a.m. These are the notoriously super-expensive melons sold in department stores for up to ¥10,000 a pair.
You’ll find the melon fans in the fruit and vegetable warehouse across the street from the inner fish market -- just look for the lime-green metal bleachers.


Read more: An insider guide to Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/visit/insider-guide-tokyos-tsukiji-fish-market-117910#ixzz1Q5ruiuVw