Tsukiji & Hamarikyu Gardens
Located in Tsukiji [築地] is the Tsukiji Fish Market which is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. The market opens at 3 am for trading where over 400 different types of seafood exchange hands.
Tuna auctions take place at about 05:20 and end at 07:00-ish. Many gaijin tourists used to come to watch the auctions but due to a few lame individuals who cause trouble, tourists were banned from watching the auctions. I think they do allow tourists to go in depending on the season under supervision by security guards though.
The traders at Tsukiji welcome foreigners to come to learn about the Japanese food culture but there are some gaijin who just take the pi**. Below is a video of some gaijin licking and touching the tuna as well as riding on small trucks used for transporting the foodstufs.
More reports about gaijin being banned from the auction area.
You wont see any photos of the market in this post because Tsukiji Fish Market is closed on a Sunday and I would not have come on any other day - personally would feel that I'd be way of the traders who are working hard to make a living.
Even though the fish market is closed on a Sunday, the area around Tsukiji makes a lovely day out for a stroll. Here we are grabbing some grub before walking around for the rest of the afternoon.
Need to eat sushi at least once a week.
Kawa Ebi - deep fried prawns. Being brought up on food back in the UK, when I first came to Japan it took me a while to eat a whole prawn including its gooey bits inside - took the dive over time and can now eat Uni ^^;
Nothing better than a relaxing Sunday afternoon with some sushi and some Japanese green tea.
Tsukiji has some lovely architecture - the old rubbing along with the new.
The pylons and telecommunication wires add to the character of Tsukiji.
The cloth that hangs from the window is called Noren [暖簾]. They are usually hung from windows and doorways. They have slits in them to allow easy passage or viewing. Traditionally they have been used to keep out the sun, wind and dust. I remember buying some when I first came to Japan and put it up in my kitchen doorway back in London - its still there ^^;
Map of the Tsukiji Fish Market area.
About a 10 minute walk away from Tsukiji are the Hamarikyu Gardens [浜離宮恩賜庭園] where you can enjoy a lazy stroll while looking at many of the traditionally landscaped greenery.
If you want to get to Tsukiji then you can do so by getting off the Tsukiji Shijo station. Please do follow the rules that they provide and remember that the folks in the market have been up early trying to make a living ^^
As for the Hamarikyu Gardens, you can get off at Shiodome station.
Before you enter the park, you can pick up a portable terminal which contains voice and video that you can watch as you walk around the gardens. Depending on your location, you will be read or shown some history of the gardens.
The loan of the terminal is free and they have 50 sets available.
Wifey and I are going to relax for a bit now while we let you explore the rest of the gardens. Cheerio!
