Eye: we wrote this post a few years ago but from October 2018 if you want to see the famous tuna auction, you must go somewhere else: to the Toyosu market. The way to access has also changed: now you can see everything from a few gateways and no longer need to register or make long queues as before: if you arrive at 06:30 you will NOT have trouble seeing the auction. Where is? In 5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Chūō, Tokyo 104-0045. To get there you must get off at Shijomae station (Yurikamome line)
Just don't forget to visit the old fish market: most shops and stalls are still there, in Tsukiji.
VISIT TO THE TSUKIJI MARKET
The days passed, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, and we without deciding to hit the early bird. With our routine of working 3 hours in the hostel, eating a delicious Tendon (rice with tempura), nap and walk through Tokyo, we were letting the day go by when we would have to wake up at 3 in the morning to get to know the famous fish market from Tsukiji.
Finally a consensus was reached, one Tuesday we met in the dining room of our house and a few decided that that would be the chosen day. Without more, we met at 23.30 to spend a fun night around the market and go to see the tuna auction at dawn. But the plan was not completed as planned ...
(If you want to know how to get to the Tsukiji Market, their Schedulewhat days close, to what time to arrive, how many seats and all the useful info, skip the next paragraph and go directly to the end of the article).
My watch read 23.25, I took a backpack with my laptop, a book, tourist pamphlets about Tokyo, something to eat, a bottle of water and I went down to the dining room with all my hope. What I found there was little less than a tragedy: a gang of lazy people (Lety included), almost wearing my pajamas, looking at me with the face of “where is this madman going at this time?”, They “waited for me” with a warm excuse and a "we leave it for another day" as a greeting ... Anyway, I will have to spend the night wandering around Tokyo alone, hoping that at least, the damn tuna bid is worth it.
I took the last subway in Tawaramachi and got off at Tsukiji station at 00.19. Dark night, few people on the street, restaurants closing, Tokyo was going to sleep and I was about to start the day. But I didn't know how. So I walked.
First towards the market entrance, or what I believed was the entrance. A friendly security guard, a true man of the night, attended me with a smile and a slap (metaphorically speaking). "Morning? If tomorrow the market is closed! It is a national holiday! ” But I do not hump good man, now I have no meter to return home ... It turned out to be a misunderstanding, for me, "tomorrow" was the day that had just begun that obviously, for him it was today. With the matter resolved, he told me that this was the entrance for trucks and that, unless I was a driver dressed as a pardillo tourist, my entrance was another. He handed me a map and said goodbye with another new smile (come on, he was breaking my eyelet, sure).
I looked at the clock, 00.44, I only have 4 hours left to start the show ... and now what do I do? Maybe there is a McDonalds open in the area. Again to walk, I walked and walked what is not written, I crossed the river several times, I went to neighborhood stores open 24 hours ... in the end I chose to stay in the river area and enjoy wonderful views of Tokyo in its early morning.
And there I found them, they are everywhere! Men in suits at 2 in the morning fishing! There was not one, nor two, nor three ... there were a few who, to de-stress their daily routine, went to the banks of the Sumida River with their fishing equipment and good intentions. They laughed when I asked if the fish they had just caught and were measuring would eat it later. They just want to take a while and write down in their personal record book the measurements of their new catches, before returning them to the water. I thought they were a bit weird, but ... what would they have thought of me, of a guy lost in Tokyo at dawn who wants to eat the river fish?
It was too early and I had a dream of noses so I lay on a park bench, put on my thermal blanket and closed my eyes. I was about to sleep more than the bill! I woke up at 3, and headed to the market entrance, thought I'd be the first early bird to arrive. But it was not like that, a group of about 30 people was already waiting, with their yellow breastplates and their talkative talks. I took the breastplate that belonged to me and lay down again on a somewhat hotter floor, and I took my second nap of the night.
The time has come, all standing! It was 5 o'clock and finally we could see the market inside. The color of my bib indicated that it belonged to the group that would enter first, a small reward for one night to the bullfighter. They directed us towards himjonai shijo, the internal market where tuna and other fish auctions (auctions) take place, crossing the loading and unloading area, crazy at that time of the morning.
And there, like a flock of sheep, they sent us to observe, shut up and remain quiet while some types, more similar to actors than fish professionals, compared pieces of tuna, noted their characteristics, and finally got together to shout their prices for some and other tunas.
The tunas are displayed whole, with the exception of a slice that is left on tables to be examined more closely by professionals. These, with their flashlights, check the texture of the meat, its color, if it is more or less lax… in short, its quality. In the large piece of tuna a cut is made in which you can check the fat of the fish and its thickness. All this is noted in their notebooks to later bid more or less for each piece. A whole ritual. |
In short, it seemed too much effort to enjoy 20 minutes in this auction, in which four cats actually participated, and you know how authentic it was.
Information about the Tsukiji Market
Tsukiji market is the largest fish market in the world, over 2,000 tons per day are moving there.
It consists of two zones:
- Jonai Shijo:
It is the internal market and is only accessible to authorized personnel. Tourists can see it in a very short schedule that we will detail later.
- Jogai Shijo:
It is the foreign market and it is public. Here they sell all kinds of fish, fruit, vegetables, and food in general. There are also plenty of restaurants, mostly specialized in sushi, with fairly high prices. The good time to go is from 09.00, when there is more atmosphere, closes at 1pm.
Tourist visit to the tuna auction at the Tsukiji market
If you want to go as a tourist to the area bounded to professionals to attend the fish auction, you can do so by joining one of the two groups that visit it first thing in the morning. The places cannot be reserved so you will have to get up early (or not sleep as I did) to be one of the lucky ones.
Groups: There are two groups with a total of 120 seats (60 per group).
Visit: visits are 25 minutes. The first group begins the visit at 05.25, the second at 5.50. The groups are directed by market personnel and have an established route, passing through an external loading and unloading area and arriving at the restricted area, where tunas are exhibited and auctions are held.
Schedule: theoretically the places are assigned from 5 in the morning, but around 2.30 or 3 the office is already open and distributes the bibs. In my case, at 120 in the morning the 120 seats were already distributed.
Functioning: as people arrive, breastplates are delivered (the first 60 with the yellow of the first group and the other 60 with the green of the second). Only one bib is delivered per person. Once they run out of breastplates they do not give more seats, so if you are one of those who arrives later it will be your turn (or try to bribe someone who is dressed in a bib). If you get your bib, you can stay in the waiting room or go for a walk (they don't lock you up), always keeping in mind that after 5 you will have to be back.
How to get: Tsukiji market is easily accessible by subway, the "Tsukiji" subway station is a short walk from the entrance. The problem comes with the schedule. I approached the last subway, around 12 p.m. If you want to go in the early morning directly from your accommodation, you will have to approach by taxi or rent a bike.
Eye, the entrance for tourists is not the "main gate", which is where the trucks enter and where I went to ask the security. I leave you a map where you can see the correct entry.
Closing days: Normally every Sunday is closed and some Wednesdays too. It also closes the national holidays. I leave you a link to the official calendar: Tsukiji Market calendar
How much: It's free.
Recommendation: If you are really interested in the visit, we recommend that you arrive around 3.30 at the latest. If you have the possibility of approaching by bicycle, the ride through Tokyo at that time of the morning by bike is very peaceful. The return will be a little harder. There are tours that organize a guided tour, but we believe that you also do not get rid of the early bird, because there is a bib per person.
