tsukiji market.

–

–

–

–

–
–
When you plan a trip to Tokyo, everyone will tell you to visit Tsukiji Market — or more properly, the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market — where chefs go to get their fresh fish for the day’s meals.  Everyone will also tell you to go to the tuna auctions, the highlight of the day, which start at 5:30 in the morning and run for about an hour.  Everyone will tell you: Oh!  You’ll be jetlagged anyway so you’ll be up at 5:30 so it’s totally doable! 

Apparently maintaining one’s sanity is not everyone’s priority while on vacation.  Me, when I go on holiday, I like my sanity.  In fact, I go on holiday precisely for my sanity’s sake.  I’m certainly not going to sabotage that for the sake of a 5:30 wake up call to stand in line in the hopes of seeing some fish, no matter how great an experience it is.  Seriously, people.  I like my sleep.

But here’s the thing: it’s still entirely possible to hit the market after the auctions.  The wholesale operation is in full effect till early afternoon, and you can wander around both the inner and outer markets with your ridiculously big camera and take photographs AND AND AND get a sushi breakfast to boot.  Yes.  Sushi for breakfast.  It was wonderful.   The big camera was not on hand for that part of the excursion, which is all for the best: lots of delightful groaning and face-stuffing.  SUSHI FOR BREAKFAST!

I digress.  The market is pretty great, too.  No, seriously.  A gigantic indoor space for the fish, and the outer market is full of little alleyways and stalls selling all sorts of odds and ends.   A wonderful way to spend a morning after you’ve slept well past 5:30am.
–
–

–

–

–

–
One last photo, of our friend the Salaryman, just before we ducked in to Sushizanmai for our glorious breakfast.  Salaryman is hungry.
–

–
–
–
–
–
–