nakasendo 2024

Tokyo

We arrived at 5.30 am and managed to get an early check in for one of our rooms so we could freshen up for the day ahead. Then we needed a real coffee so we reluctantly ventured to Starbucks, the nearest coffee shop and were instantly reminded about the courtesy of the Japanese

This is NOT something you’d get from Starbucks in Sydney!

Our guide, Yumi, met us at our hotel and off we went to see the fish markets, using Japan’s incredible train system ( which we have almost mastered!).

Here’s how ChatGPT describes the old fish market at Tsukiji.

“Picture this: The Tsukiji Fish Market is bustling with more characters than a Shakespearean play. The aroma of the freshest seafood is potent enough to wake even the sleepiest of Tokyoites. Fishermen, like skillful magicians, 
conjure up creatures from the depths of the ocean, displaying them like shiny treasures on ice. Nearby, chefs with knife skills so sharp they could slice 
through your doubts, prepare sushi that could make a samurai weep with joy. There’s the ever-animated auctioneer who could sell ice to penguins, energetically waving his hands and speaking a mile a minute, while tourists snap photos faster than paparazzi at a celebrity gala. You might dodge an octopus tentacle, and perhaps even be greeted by a fishmonger who looks more at home in a comedy sketch than a seafood market. Welcome to Tokyo’s fish market, where the fish are fresh, the characters are fresher, and the experience is  fresher still.”

And it is indeed a great description…..

Note the size of the crab claws… imagine how big the crabs were. Grapes and mushrooms were also supersized

Lesley and I found it hard to pass by the grapes without a taste test

And on the left below, there’s some vegetables being marinated in miso paste (yum?) and on the right is the vegetable which becomes wasabi paste

And aren’t you tempted by these fish on sticks?

Lots of colour and action and plenty of people

Lesley is standing in front of the restaurant where John Lennon and Yoko had dined, and there are vending machines which dispense peeled mandarins!

Our guide Yumi was tempted to buy some mushrooms until she discovered they were 2500 yen for a small box ( around $25).

Onto the serious fish market, Toyosu, where the famous tuna auctions are held. This was opened in 2018, and is a vast building with observation galleries which specifically cater to free viewing by the public. It is the largest fish market in the world. The lady in the photo is our guide, Yumi.

Our guide told us that each day 200 fresh tuna and 1000 frozen tuna are auctioned. And there’s a whole process for the auction. The buyers use signs to indicate the price they wish to pay

We couldn’t work out whether the sign for “1” meant 1 yen, 1000 yen or 1 million yen, but a tuna weighing 238 kilos recently sold for 438, 000 yen per kilo ( sorry can’t do the maths but it’s VERY expensive)

There’s a new complex opposite Toyosu. It opened in February and is packed with restaurants and take away shops.

So we decided to have lunch there. You can tell Lesley is enjoying her luncheon purchase

We also visited the Namiyoke Inari shire, near the fish markets, which was built during the Manji era (1658-1661). It was built on reclaimed land and the work ran into difficulties due to waves. But after an image of Inari Myojin was floated on the sea as worship, the land reclamation was safely completed. The festival of the shrine has been known as the lion festival. Most of the lion heads were lost due to earthquakes and war, but two remain – one with black teeth, and one with gold teeth. Guess which one is the male !

We took the monorail on the way home, which gives you lovely views of the river.