Seems to be the best time to arrive at the market is about 5-5.30 am. Is this correct? Also some recommendations for a place to have a great sushi breakfast at the markets would be appreciated. Ta

You really can't go wrong at any of the sushi restaurants. There are lots of and lots of them. Some are out near the train station and then there are restaurants in almost all of the buildings in near the fish and veggie areas.We had a nice breakfast at Sushizanmai. Some people say that long lines are a sign that the food is good, but i think that depends on who is in the lines...locals or tourists!. 5:30 is a good time to get there as things in the market will be in full swing.

5-5.0 is a good time to arrive. We arrived slightly later than this and missed the main auction which, I believe is now open to visitors again after being closed for some time. I doubt that you will get a bad meal at any of the restarants around the market. I can't recall the name of the place we visited but, as lcuy suggests, we aimed for a place which was busy with locals. We ordered the biggest mixed platter of sashimi/sushi which include different types of tuna and it was the most amazing breakfast I have ever eaten! Allow a couple of hours to wander around the market (it is enormous) and watch out for those forkilift trucks - they make NO allowances for foreign visitors! A few photos of our of teh market on our blog:

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...2880/tpod.html

From the extensive research I have been doing on Tokyo, I have found that many visitor strongly recommend getting to the Tsukiji market very early. Most report having arrived at 5am and having missed the fantastic excitement of the Fish Auctions. Apparently this is where large amounts of fish are auctioned off (some of which are quickly packed away and sent from the market.) So if you plan on seeing that make arrangements to get to the market before 5am (maybe as early as 4am?) and keep in mind most of the subways wont be open that early meaning you have to ride a bike or walk if your hotel is far away.

If you are just looking for some really fresh sushi, keep in mind that about 6am the restaurants fill very quickly and often lines form where you will have to wait 30 to 45minutes, but it all seems to be worth it as I am told some of the sushi is "still moving" once it hits your plate (something that other parts of Tokyo cannot claim with their sushi meals.)

I got there at around 4.30 and saw everything. The auction start time might depend on the time of the year and when I was there it was December. Saw the Bluefin tuna auction which was the main event IMO.

I doubt if your fish are still moving as the best sushi and sashimi are normally flash freeze from the various ocean of the world. Only shell fish, lobster and the smaller fishes are kept alive and will "wriggle" when they are serving it to you.

Link to article on Sunday re inability of CITES to bring about a ban on bluefin tuna fishing:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle7069808.ece

Is the fish market closed completely on Sundays or just the auction? Meaning can you still get fresh sushi for breakfast on Sunday morning or will we have to come back another day?

http://translate.google.com/translat...ar%2F2010.html

The above link is the schedule for 2010, keep in mind that the market is closed on some "random" weekdays throughout the year.

Thanks all for the information provided.

Crellston, I enjoyed reading your trip report on Japan

There is one restaurant that sticks out because there is a huge line out the door--go there. Best sushi I've ever tasted hands down! But a bit pricey--make sure to bring plenty of yen.

More info and pics at http://patrinadoestheglobe.blogspot....kyo-japan.html

Rather than re-directing us to your blog, perhaps you can share a few things with us about your experience; Such as: What is the name of the place? What kinds of sushi did they serve? Just how "pricey" is "pricey? (I have seen restaurants serving sushi at 5000 yen a plate! And some serve for 100 yen a plate...)

Katrinab is probably referring to Sushi Dai. My sister and I ate there this past fall and it was very fresh and very good. An 11 piece setto meal was about 3900 yen. Definitely one of those "must do" sort of things if you like sushi. They are reputed to be the best in Tokyo and some even say the world. Expect to wait about an hour or so in line.

Re: restaurants, the 'big 2' that get mentioned again and again (with up to 3 hour waits) are Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi. I believe the set meals that most people get are in the $30-40 USD range. I believe most of Tsukiji is closed on Wednesdays and Sundays.

For those who arrived before 5:30, doesn't the subway start running at 5? Did you taxi? Stay at a close hotel (which one)? Is it worth it to taxi/close hotel just to come that much earier??

We stayed at the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku and left the hotel at around 4.00 AM by taxi.

We were on the west side of the city and got on the subway about 5 a.m. We were there within a half hour from what I recall. We walked around a bit, were in line at Sushi Dai around 6 a.m. and were seated about 8 a.m.