sushi in tsukiju
 

i am looking for a good sushi bar in and around tsukiji fish market. i prefer to go where the "locals" go. i have read some threads about good and reasonably priced sushi bars, but author did not identify restaurant. will be there in oct.

Some of those places around the fish market are so small that I am not sure they even have names, and if they do, you won't be able to read them, unless you read Japanese.
The best thing to do is just go wander the area until you find one that looks good. There are lots of them. Most of them have pictures of the various types of sushi they serve, so you can point. You will not find any English spoken in this part of Tokyo.
Since the fish market is an early morning type place, I'm guessing that some of the restaurants in that area are probably not open past lunch time.

When I visited the market early one morning I found a row of small sushi restaurants within the market itself, where market people were breakfasting. It seemed to be fairly amusing to them that a foreigner had wandered in, but they were friendly and helpful. My Japanese is limited to about 50 phrases, but nevertheless I ended up with a set meal of a dozen pieces or so for what seemed like a very reasonable price at the time.

I remain puzzled as to why anyone goes to Tsukiji in Tokyo, and not, say one of the major London or New York markets early in the morning. With the exception of the predominance of fish and seafood, there seems to be no difference--the same queasy diesel fumes hanging in the air and the need to dodge the fork lift trucks creating them; the same sense of being up far too early in the morning for it to feel like a holiday. It's not something I'd do a second time (although there are many other things in Tokyo I've done multiple times).

Peter N-H
http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

Bonjour Peter,

Maybe your puzzlement has to do with the fact that you live in a country where food markets are common. I suspect it is not the case for most visitors to Japan.

I don't want to spoil anybody's fun but I've also found that Tsukiji was not all that pleasant or interesting, contrarily to some other fish markets in smaller towns (Yaizu in Shizuoka pref comes to mind), or other major food markets (Ameya Yokocho on Dec. 31st, Nishiki in Kyoto) where you're not at risk from various engines and you don't feel you're in the way of people going about their business.

Peter,

The main fish market in NYC is the Fulton Fish Market. I don't think Fulton really has restaurant stalls around it, and it's not really set up for visitors (just trade). Tsukiji, on the other hand, seems to be much more tourist friendly. I'm not sure about London, but I don't recall London having anything like Tsukiji either.

The next time I go to Japan, I want to visit Tsukiji (which I didn't do when I lived there for a year recently), mostly because I want to taste a variety of fish at its absolute freshest at a reasonable price.

I think both Florence and I (who've both been there) were saying that Tsukiji *isn't* set up for tourists.

All major cities in the world have wholesale food markets (Smithfield would be one of London's) but these don't seem to be on tourist itineraries. All have places where market workers can get food (the Smithfield area, before licensing laws were relaxed, was an essential part of a 24 hour pub crawl since pubs were open in the early hours to suit the market workers) which is what Tsukiji has, too--not something specially set up for tourists.

My theory is that the market happened to be added to some early Japan guide book and since writers and researchers often very unimaginatively copy each other it's ended up in some of the others, and no one dares to leave it out. No doubt some people will now write in to say how splendid they thought the market was, but it will not perhaps have occurred to them to do the same trip in their nearest major city at home, where the main difference would be a rather smaller range of (mostly) dead fish to look at.

I must admit that although I enjoyed my sushi breakfast, and there was an odd beauty to the stacks of frozen tuna carcasses, I felt in the way, and was glad to leave the garish lighting, roar of fork-lift engines, and stink of diesel exhaust behind.

But chacun a son gout, and I hope all enjoy it.

Peter N-H
http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

Peter,
I'm one of those who found it quite interesting, in spite of the exhaust fumes and having to leap out of the way of some type of vehicle or cart every 2 minutes. What I enjoyed was watching the tuna auction (with a translator) and hearing some of the incredible prices that are paid for a single fish. I like to cook, so I was amazed at the diversity of the seafood there. I've eaten a lot of shellfish in a lot of places around the world, and I saw varieties there I have never seen anywhere. I also quite enjoyed watching what happens to those $30,000 tuna after they are sold....watching the stall holders slice them up with precise, incredibly quick surgical skills, using knives sharp enough to remove a finger in a blink of an eye, while carrying on simultaneous conversations with buyers, sellers and other stall holders.
But then that's just me. If it was something that took all day to do, I would say it should probably not be in the guide books. But since you can do Tsukiji in about an hour and still have the whole day in front of you, perhaps the guide books should keep it in, with the caveat that you should be really interested in seafood and ready to put up with fumes and traffic to see it.

Peter

You're right as to the reason why Tsukiji became a tourist attraction. It is puzzling for the Japanese themselves, who find it odd that tourists would want to wake up early to see what is for them a place geared to professionals. It is the same with the kitchen ustensil market in Kappabashi, and the craze in fake sushis and other foods tourists buy there.

Lindsey,
I understand that someone involved in cooking develops an interest in wholesale food markets (I went there on a couple of occasion with a friend who owns a sushi restaurant in Yanaka), and I'm sure a (semi)professional is more than welcome. In my experience however, the Japanese tend to complain about the tourists who obviously don't realise there is work being done there, and that it hasn't been set up as a tourist attraction.

et415,
I remember some years ago the Japanese press and consumers associations had denounced the fact that fish at Tsukiji wasn't always the freshest and the safest, due to poor hygiene and refrigeration in quite a number of stalls (although I've never heard of any tourist getting food poisoning). I hope for you it has improved since then ;->

Rats! Is the fake sushi from Kappabashi a tourist craze now? I have some fake sushi and tempura on my desk, dating back to 1991 when I worked on the Japan Festival in the UK. The sushi used regularly to fool others working there and visitors to the office from both the UK and Japan.

Still, the shops at Kappabashi seem more than happy to sell individual ceramic items and kitchen utensils to ordinary buyers, as well as the signage, paperware, and other items for the restaurant trade, and prices seem (in my tourist ignorance) to be very good. I was there a couple of times last year. I never feel in the way except when nearly being run down by umbrella carrying cyclists.

Peter N-H
http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

Travelers may be interested to know that Tsukiji also has a large retail area seperate from the fish market. It has many individual stalls and shops selling vegetables and fruits, tea, rice crackers, dried seaweed, fish, meats, ceramic ware, cutlery, etc.

Shoppers pack the area in the morning for their daily needs. There are also many food stalls and small restaurants serving good, reasonable japanese dishes such as sushi, curry rice, noodles and tempura for shoppers and the market workers. An interesting area to visit, stroll around and see a slice of everyday life.

My impression of Tsukiji (not from personal experience though) is that a visitor can get very fresh, very good sushi there for a cheap price (tradeoff is not very elegant surroundings). Would people who have been there agree with that statement? If the sushi is no better than you can get at the cheap conveyor belt sushi places in town, then forget it...

thank you all for the interesting discussion. after my sushi and sake, i might want to go to kappabashi. where is this place, and what train stop do i use. anybody know of a location for a good yatai?

After your morning sushi and sake, you might want to go back to the hotel for a nap, but please wipe that fish smell off of your shoes and be quiet cuz I'll still be sleeping.

Peter,

Yes, there is a brisk trade of fake sushis in Kappabashi, now listed as a must-see on every guide to Tokyo, at the delight (and surprise) of the local shopowners. Most shops cater mainly to professionnal cooks and restaurant owners, but anyone can indeed buy all kinds of ware, from a box of tootpicks to community-sized rice-cookers, and the price is the same as anywhere else in Tokyo.

Kuranosuke,

After visiting Tsukiji, go on foot to Hama-Rikyu garden and board a boat on the Sumida river bound to Asakusa. Once there, walk past Kaminarimon (the gate leading to the Sensoji temple), the Drums Museum, then straight ahead for about 10 minutes. You'll know you're in Kappabashi when you'll reach the first shops selling chopsticks and plastic bento trays. At the next corner, turn left under the covered arcades.
Alternatively, take the Ginza line from Asakusa (if you came by boat) or Ginza and stop at Inaricho station. Look up for the giant statue of a Chef at the entrance of the street.

For yatai, look around main train stations (Ueno along Shinobazu pond is a good place) at dusk. Try "oden". A good place for a snack at night is under the tracks along Ameya Yokocho. Don't expect to be welcomed too warmly, but this is the norm if you're not a regular.

Mrwunrfl,
don't worry: if Kuranosuke goes on the tour I suggested, he won't wake you up until late afternoon ;-)

aloha florence

domo for the great info. never been on the river in tokyo, so i will do that. also, will do the yatai.

mrwunrfl

how did a grouch like you get a cheerful name like that? get a life.

I should have put an appropriate smiley face on my last comment, like this one: ;)

Aloha all...Unless you really want to hear them auction off the big fish, I recommend you go to any other fish or vegetable market and you'll see the same (or more) variety and at a more civilized hour! You'll also find lots of vegetables, unreal fruits, and a lot of tempura and other 'fast food' as well! In october there will be lots of the pickled radishes, turnips, and other autumn specialties. These markets are set up for retail purchases and much more pleasant. My favorites are the ones in Kyoto and Sendai, but every city has several of these. Sushi will be fresh everywhere.

florence: just got back from 4 days in tokyo. went to eat sushi at sushizanmai in tsukiji market. great sushi. went there twice. enjoyed having sushi and sake in the a.m. i wasn't the only one having a drink, the guy to my left was drinking warm sake, and the guy to my right had a beer. followed your directions to a t, went to hama-rikyu garden, boarded the water bus to asakusa, and walked straight ahead to kappabashi. bought a fake amaebi sushi with a magnet to stick on our in/out board at work. the garden was beautiful and wished i had spent more time there, perhaps next time. went also to a new restaurant called chankonabe. owned by former yokozuna wakanohana. food was excellent. the nabe is cooked at your table. had a great time. thanks for all the great info, and you were right, by the time i got through with kappabashi, wonderful-san would be awake. domo.

Am happy to hear that you had such a good time.

thanks wonny. by the way, how does one put face symbols on these posts?