I recently read the current Tsukiji fish market will close in 2013/14 and reopen in a new location. The rumors are that tourists will no longer be allowed visitation in the new facilities. So even though this market is in every tourist book and guide I still wanted to see it for myself before it is gone. Tsukiji or the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market is the most exciting market I have ever toured. It is a short-lived chaos but during its morning rush it is an insanity of activity. No matter where I stood or stopped I was blocking someone slinging huge frozen tuna, an ice carts, buyers, turret trucks, or carts of fish heads. The majority of the vendors, fisherman, book keepers, and truck drivers were more than polite or willing to pose for a very quick confrontational portrait but I understand why tourists bans are periodically instituted. The market mirrors Tokyo itself with its huge yet crowded space and houses so much activity and commerce that it is hard to absorb in one visit. So I have another trip planned in about a week but for now here is a cursory if not superficial glance at a Tokyo tourism favorite and a visual sushi feast.
