Tsukiji Fish Market

he Tsukiji Fish Market is a must visit place when in Tokyo. To watch the Tuna Auction at the market, I had to leave the hotel at 2 am. There are no trains at night and, therefore, if you plan to visit this market, stay at a nearby hotel within walkable distance. No one is allowed into the fish market wearing flip flops or high heels as this could be dangerous since the floor in the auction hall is wet and slippery. At the market place, be prepared to dodge the numerous cars, motorized three wheelers, forklifts, vans, wooden hand carts, trucks and trolleys – all on the move. Though very chaotic, the situation is still under control. The Tsukiji Market is also known as the world’s largest fish market where transactions over 2000 tons of seafood take place every day. Frozen tuna fish is all over the floor. Men are seen cutting the fish, oops, I mean hacking or even sawing. Ice crushing machines are located at strategic spots where men feed them with huge blocks of ice to be crushed and used to preserve the fish. Guts and blood are seen almost everywhere, but, ironically, the market did not stink as awful as some of the wet markets in South East Asia.