Tsukiji Fish Market

In central Tokyo is located the world's largest fish market, Tsukiji.

One of the most interesting things to see at Tsukiji is the morning fish auction.  The way it works is that two groups of 60 (first group enters the auction between 5:25AM to 5:50AM) and the second group goes after that.

The spots are first come first served, so Onions and I arrived around 4AM and were placed in the second group.

When your group is called you are walked into a generic looking warehouse and see this.  Here we see already sold fish marked with some sign of the buyer.

Buyers go around and inspect the fish.

Then at the appointed hour, this man rings the bell and the auction begins.  It appeared to me that fish get sold in less than a minute.

Once sold, a man comes around and marks the fish and they are dragged out of the warehouse.

Tsukiji is more than just the fish auction.  An entire economy has grown around the buying and selling of fish and all the items that go with it.  Here's a man using a blade saw to cut frozen fish.

Inside this building is the intermediate wholesalers area.  Off limits until later in the morning.

And this is....fresh wasabi!

A mountain of styrofoam.

Within the market there are a number of small restaurants that specialize in....sushi.  Makes sense.  However, since everyone wants to eat there, the lines snake for hundreds of feet.  Most people will wait for up to three hours to eat at one of these restaurants.  Onions and I took a pass.