Considering the Japanese obsession with seafood, Tokyo’s fish market is a remarkable place. Al

Considering the Japanese obsession with seafood, Tokyo’s fish market is a remarkable place. Although it’s a bit of a tourist trap, I’d recommend checking it out since it’s pretty interesting, and you can get some really great sushi.

The first trick is to avoid the super-touristy parts. These are the markets that line the entrance, and they’re pretty obviously geared towards gaijin (foreigners). You’ll be able to tell that they’re for tourists because of 1. all the white people and 2. all the postcards they’re selling. So just walk right by them and to the back of the market where the real action is.

Try to arrive around 9 AM, because that’s when the wholesale market opens to tourists. It’s a really cool site to see, with tons of stalls of weird fish. By the time you arrive, vendors will already be cleaning up, but if you are there before noon or so you should still be able to see a good chunk of it.

After checking out the wholesale market, I wanted to get some sushi. There are a ton of sushi places, many of which have really long lines. But most of these are in the touristy drag of the market, and most of the people in line are tourists. So I avoided these spots, and looked for a place in one of the side streets near the wholesale market. And I was not disappointed.

I found a place with a pretty short line, and I knew it was the right place when I saw a Japanese guy bringing two white business associates to the spot. They wanted to go to a place next door because it had no line, but he insisted that they go to this one.

I went all out and got the biggest sampler platter, with 12 different pieces of “extra special” nigiri and one roll. It wasn’t too bad at 3600¥ (around $36 US). And oh man, I eat a lot of sushi and this was hands down the best sushi I’ve ever had in my life.

Plus, most of the pieces were types of sushi I’d never had before. It was really some unique stuff, and super fresh. I even tried eating the shrimp piece with the tail left on. I’ve always known that’s how they do it in Japan, but I could never bring myself to try it that way (it just sounds too gross). It actually wasn’t that bad, but I don’t think I’ll be trying it that way in the future :).
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