Something's Fishy

Yesterday in Tokyo was another adventure! I still haven't totally adjusted to Japan time yet, so I took advantage of the fact that I was already awake at 4 am to venture out to the Tsujiki fish market. One of the highlights of a visit to the fish market is the tuna auction that starts around 5:30 am, so it is important to go bright and early.

The tuna auction takes place in a large room in the back of the market. Those big white things on the floor in the picture are actually frozen blue fin tuna. The men in the picture are the buyers. The tails have been cut off of the tuna and a cut has been made so the buyers can inspect the tuna for fat content and oil.

When the auction for a particular lot of tuna is ready to begin, the auctioneer begins ringing a bell. He starts out ringing it high over his head, and as the auction is just about to begin, he bends down low and starts ringing it close to the floor. Then, the chanting begins. Just like auctioneers in America have a special way of calling on bidders, the auctioneer in the Tsujiki fish market has a special way of calling on bidders for the tuna...it almost sounds like a song! (I did take video of this, but I'm having trouble posting it. Hopefully I will be able to get it on the site soon!) Each buyer wears a hat with a number on the front so he can be identified on by the auctioneer and his assistants. When someone makes a bid on a particular lot of fish, the auctioneers assistance make a note of it. Then, when the auction is over, they mark that particular group of fish with the buyer's number.

While the tuna auction is the most
popular attraction at the fish market, it is not the only thing to see! The area in front of the auction room is filled with fish sellers peddling their wares. There are all sorts of fish and seafood for sale in the fish market! The market is a very busy place, with narrow isles between the fish stalls and men driving motorized carts to move crates of fish and ice. They don't use horns to let you know that you are coming, so it is important to be aware of what is going on around you all of the time or you might get run over


There are also little shops around the fish market selling items that someone might need if they are buying fish, like sharp knives, salt, fresh vegetables, etc... There are also a few little restaurants in the fish market. As you can imagine, these restaurants serve incredibly fresh fish! We decided to skip breakfast at the market and head back to the hotel to try a traditional Japanese breakfast...but that doesn't mean we didn't have fish!

The first step in getting our breakfast was to get back to the hotel. We could have hailed a taxi to go back since that was the way we arrived, but we were determined to take the Japanese metro (subway) since it is supposed to be one of the best in the world. Those of you that know me well, know that I (admittedly) don't have the best sense of direction. The fact that I don't read (or speak) Japanese did not make me any more confident in my ability to navigate the subway system. Luckily, we had a New Yorker in our group who was very good at reading the subway map. Once we finally figured out how to buy our tickets from the machines, we were on our way back to the hotel. We even got on the right train the first time!

Once we arrived at the hotel, safe and sound, we were famished and ready for our breakfast. What kinds of food come to your mind when you think of breakfast? A traditional Japanese breakfast is VERY different from a traditional American breakfast. Breakfast was brought to us in a tray that had lots of little bowls and dishes on it. There was a big bowl of rice, a small bowl of a seaweed salad, a little plate of pickled radish, a small dish of some marinated greens, a bowl of miso soup (it still has the lid on it in this picture), a bowl with a dumpling stuffed with ground beef, and a plate with a piece of salmon, two small pieces of egg, and what I think was some kind of meatball. Instead of coffee, we were served black tea. While it's not the type of food I'm used to eating so early in the morning, it was DELICIOUS!

Can you believe that all of that happened before 9:15 am! In the afternoon we had three lecture sessions. We learned a general overview of the Japanese education system from the vice-president of a university and a professor taught us about the Japanese economy. Later, we met with a leading member of the Diet who taught us about the Japanese government. In the evening, we had free time to explore Tokyo. The first thing that I needed to do was to get my train tickets for Kyoto this weekend. To do that, I had to go with the people I'm traveling with to an area of Tokyo called Shibuya. We took the subway again (without getting lost!) and made our way to the train station. Afterwards, we walked around Shibuya.

Shibuya is one of the most famous areas of Tokyo and is shown in almost all the modern movies filmed in Japan. It's kind of like the Times Square of Tokyo. One of the things that makes Shibuya so famous is the amount of people that are walking and driving through the streets. The busiest intersection in the world is in Shibuya. There were shops and restaurants everywhere, and neon signs lit up the streets. We went to a small restaurant off of the main street to go to for dinner. After my fishy morning, I decided it was a good idea to order chicken for dinner :)

By the time we got off the subway and made it back to our hotel I was exhausted, and it was only 8:30 pm! I certainly had a long day. I got in bed and went right to sleep. For the first time since I arrived in Tokyo, I slept through the night and woke up when my alarm went off. I think that long day was exactly what I needed to adjust to the new time zone! And it's just in time, too. After the lectures today, I am headed to Kyoto with a group of teachers for the rest of tonight and tomorrow. I promise to tell you all about it and post lots of pictures!