Leaving Tokyo...reluctantly

Having set our alarm clocks for the ungodly hour of 8 we went to bed full of excitement about our trip to Tsukiji fish market. There was a very politely worded warning (we are in Japan) about the fact that it is a very busy working market with lot`s of trade people and vehicles buzzing around. This, however, could never have prepared us for the buzz that greeted us. Having had our tour from Shiro a few days before we felt brave enough to head straight in...that`s when we first encountered the motorised gas canisters that were used to pull everything from crates of fish and veg to workers off on their break.

We spent quite a while just wandering around the market which houses approx 1000 wholesalers dealing in over 400 different types of fish. We saw whole tuna being chopped up, crabs wriggling around in the vain hope they weren`t destined for someone`s soup, oysters, mussels, whelks and cockles galore. I cannot put into words how overwhelming the activity was, some of the photos will show you a couple of stalls but if you imagine this over a few acres (can`t remember how many but you are talking the size of several large UK shopping centres end to end) you may start to get an idea.

The reward for getting through the market alive was a trip to the outer market, where there were countless sushi restaurants peddling the wares of the wholesalers no further than a few hundred metres away...some of the sushi was so fresh it was still twitching. This maze of shops, counters, shacks and conveyor belts made choosing where to eat slightly hard but we plumped for place that looked nice and bright with a smattering of locals.

It was in this sushi joint that we first experienced the very friendly welcome that comes when you enter a lot of Japanese restaurants, that is to say the doorman / maitre`d shouts, "mushi mushi" / "we`re ready" and every member of staff then replies with some as yet indeciferable welcome to you. This is great as you feel quite special...until you are on your third piece of sashimi and eight other special guests have arrived each getting their very own welcome...oh how we laughed!

All of this was a great way to finish our first stint in Tokyo...Kyoto next.