
Tsukiji, Japan’s iconic fish market, is still booming—for now - sergeant3
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-06-08/how-to-visit-tsukiji-fish-market-in-tokyo-before-it-closes
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saryant
I've been to Tsukiji a number of times, including the morning after Fukushima.
Most recently I was there in September. They're glossing over the recent rules
that tourists aren't allowed in the inner market before 10am, largely after
business is done for the day.

Sushi Dai is good but not worth standing in line for an hour. There are dozens
of restaurants along Shin Ohashi Dori with local specialities and no tourists.
For my money, I'd rather get a lunch reservation at Kyubey or Sushi Iwa than
stand in line forever to get squeezed (literally) into Sushi Dai or Daiwa
Sushi. There's a great coffee place a couple blocks away called Turret Coffee,
ironically tucked behind a Starbucks.

And please, don't bring a suitcase. I honestly cannot believe the throngs of
tourists I saw last time bringing in full-size roller suitcases. The market
was not built as a tourist attraction—watch where you're going, accept that
your shoes will get dirty and don't bring bags. Or touch the fish.

The market is worth visiting, especially if you're coming from the US, meaning
the jet lag will have you wide awake at 3am your first morning. Embrace it and
head on over.

~~~
hkmurakami
I've been to several of the joints on that small alley housing both Sushi Dai
and Daiwa over the years. The experience is very different from what you get
at a very formal and oldschool place like Sushi Iwa [1], especially if you can
chat up the chefs (which imo is an essential part of going to a sushi joint).

Personally I'd be okay with waiting 1 hour for Sushi Dai, but that's way below
average wait time. The standard wait time is about 4 hours these days. Daiwa
is about 45 minutes iirc. Regardless, it's 90% foreign tourists these days
anyways, and it's a win-win scenario for the tourists and the restaurants imo.
It's like a Velben good -- the longer the wait the more memorable the
experience? :P

Agreed that there are plenty of great random places to eat in the outer
market. Might be hard for the average visitor to glean which one to visit
though.

[1] do they still charge a flat 20,000 JPY for dinner regardless of how much
or little you eat?

~~~
saryant
I haven't been to Iwa for dinner, only lunch. That runs about 7000 yen. FWIW
I've found the chef fairly talkative the three times I've been there.

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cloudwalking
Just visited Tsukiji inner market a few weeks ago. They use a huge amount of
ice and styrofoam to keep the fish cold. What really blew my mind is the on-
site styrofoam recycling center. Not only are they using high-value land for
recycling, but also saving energy and pollution by not transporting material
away. Very progressive and forward thinking.

On the other hand, the whale jerky in the outer market just made me sad.

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dankohn1
These are shots of my then 1yo (now 10yo) son and I visiting in 2007.
Presumably, they don't let you get this close to the tuna anymore.

[https://www.dropbox.com/s/vjcxk2ajokxxcbd/IMG_1307.jpg](https://www.dropbox.com/s/vjcxk2ajokxxcbd/IMG_1307.jpg)
[https://www.dropbox.com/s/7wctwf46bekam60/IMG_1310.JPG](https://www.dropbox.com/s/7wctwf46bekam60/IMG_1310.JPG)

~~~
reustle
You can still get this close, but not in the auction. The shops who purchased
some tuna then have them sitting out in their stalls sometimes.

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gumby
Although perhaps it won't close after all, the article says.

~~~
dang
Good point. We changed the title above to the article's subtitle.

The submitted title was "How to Visit Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo Before It
Closes". Submitters: please don't rewrite titles unless they are misleading or
linkbait
([https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)).
Rewriting to be _more_ misleading is particularly bad.

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euske
I hope they shut down Tsukiji and settle this as soon as possible. Most people
here are sickened by this endless political drama, which has very little to do
with their daily life yet took so much news coverage and debating.

~~~
jpatokal
Necessary context for the above: Tsukiji is old, decrepit, and absurdly
located in the middle of central Tokyo -- it's easy walking distance to Ginza.
For _decades_ now, they've been planning a move to a larger site on reclaimed
land in Tokyo Bay, which is otherwise great but happens to be contaminated
with dioxin. They've spent years cleaning it up, and the move was supposed to
happen for realz last year, but was scuttled at the last minute because Tokyo
got a new governor who realised that a) the cleanup hadn't actually been done
and b) they had just forged the test results proclaiming it clean.

~~~
euske
Thank you. I'd also point out that Tsukiji as a market is somewhat
dysfunctional now and the majority of fish in Japan is already traded without
using the central markets. Actually, they started a tourism campaign because
of their slumping sales. It somehow worked, which I guess mainly due to the
snobbery and pomposity surrounding the pricey sushi among some
domestic/foreign tourists. But I'd like to see a real working market,
efficient and representative of the needs of real people.

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contingencies
I had assumed this article was going to be about how depletion of fish stocks
and irresponsible fishing in general was going to change the Japanese diet.
However, all we got was local political drama.

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theprop
To see the tuna auction, try to have someone who's seen it guide you. You have
to get there ridiculously early, maybe 3am or even earlier...just so you know.

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JensRantil
This is where they sell dolphins, right?

