Tsukiji Fish Market

Map of Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo

[B]efore visiting Tokyo last month, I asked for ideas about where to go and what to do on Twitter and Facebook.

Visiting and taking photos of the Tsukiji Fish Market, the world's largest, was the most frequently mentioned activity.

Luckily, my Couchsurfing hosts were up for visiting with me, otherwise, getting up at 5 am and trekking across Tokyo would've been a challenge given I was still suffering from jetlag.

By the time we were exiting the metro near the market, other tourists were already leaving.  They'd gotten up especially early to catch the tuna auction that happens every morning.

The market was a flurry of activity as fish was being prepped, sold, processed, and moved around to delivery trucks.

As a result, we moved through the actual wholesale area of the market very quickly, and therefore I didn't get nearly as many photos as I expected.

Eventually, one fishmonger told us all to get out, pointing to a sign that indicated tourists were not suppose to enter the market before 9 am.

A sign reminds tourists to be respectful while they are walking around the fish market.

A worker concentrates on cutting frozen tuna with a giant ban saw. The frozen fish are destined for other parts of the country, while the fresh fish is distributed to restaurants and markets around Tokyo each morning.

A giant oyster

Tourists are not suppose to enter the Tsukiji Fish Market before 9am, which is when the market is busiest auctioning fish and processing fresh catches.

One of the less busy aisles inside the Tsukiji Fish Market.

Various fresh fish for sale.

Fresh fish packed on ice and ready to be shipped to nearby markets and restaurants.

A seafood delivery truck awaits its cargo.

After walking through the market, may visitors sit down for breakfast in one of the nearby sushi restaurants. I chose salmon sashimi for my breakfast.

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Visit Cheap Hotels if you need an affordable hotel room in Tokyo.

Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.