in this episode we go to Tsukiji wholesale fish market
the biggest in the world
It opens at 3 a.m.
employs 65,000 people. Does nearly six billion dollars annually
and sells over four hundred kinds of seafood. Located right in central Tokyo
between GINZA and the SUMIDA RIVER. The market was completed in 1935
it set to move to a new site in TOYOSU
in the near future. Only a short trip away
Here we are in TSUKIJI market which is essentially a city within a city
one of the biggest fish markets in the world! This place is incredible has its
own culture, its own language, even its own mode of transportation! And to help
me explain it all is Greg Lane the founder of Tokyo Cheapo.com
and MORITA san
from TSUKIJI Sushiworkshop! Greg what is the big attraction
for TSUKIJI market?
The attraction is just the massive scale
of this place and the like the chaotic energy.
It's crazy!
These Cars racing paths..We're in serious danger right now!
So we've been here 6 or 7 hours coming here at 3am, now almost 10am!
Mr.MORITA was kind enough to show us the option in guide us around the market
Take a look
visitors can come and see the tuna auction at 5am
it's limited to 100 people on a first-come first-served basis
Get there early! I'm talking like 3:45a.m.
There are 2 groups of sixty
with a sixty to ninety minute wait
Is it gonna be worth it?
I'm getting a little bit tired..
Actually being here with everybody
It's not that bad. You get to know a lot of the people where they're from
Actually I would recommend bringing a pillow with you
You get a really sore behind.
It's true! best to get a spot along the wall to lean on,too
when the door opens
the auction experience begins with the walk through the
dark intermarket roads guided by security guards
The first thing that visitors notice are the freight and turret tracks
watch where you walk!! Accidents do happen
And we're here! The special visitor area to see the tuna auction
There they are flash frozen tuna from the seven seas
on pallets! Numbered, and prepped for inspection
I'd seen this on TV and realized
I was really excited!! Its actually worth waiting throughout the night
They can dig in on the ends
Take a piece of MAGURO and feel for the freshness
fat content and distribution.
A flashlight can make it easier to see the quality
Not all tuna are the same
Buyers usually have a list of the tuna they want
and know the value before they bid.
The bell starts the auction
There are several auctions taking place at the same time
The first tuna sold within 10 seconds
The buyers use number gestures quickly
Often not even saying a word
Morita san took us to a shop selling TUNA that he knows in the outer market
This is a tuna purchased at the auction this morning
it's big enough to feed an army
You can see it's so white it's loaded with a lot of the fat, the oil
you can see the cuts of MAGURO(tuna) here
AKAMI is the typical lean and red tuna meat
found near the fin
CHUTORO is from the middle belly
Pinker with fat
OTORO is from the lower belly, loaded with fat
and melts in your mouth when eaten.
Lighter color means more fat
more flavor and more expensive.
Nine is a hook symbol! Unusual!
You can't use your other hand
You can tell the zeros by the item
Cheap ones are thousands
in the auction the buyers gesture fast
this is universally understood in TSUKIJI
Japanese knives are some of the best in the world
This one is a knife used to cut MAGURO for more precise cuts
it may look like a sword,but its a knife
it's about 70 centimeters long
and used for opening the tuna
These are sold in shops all over the outer market
It's well made and weighs about one kilogram
Feels like a machete but longer
and crafted to cut through bone
When holding long knives
don't get over excited and watch where your point the end!
sorry about that shirt, Greg
Morita san also got some sea urchin and scallops to go along with the
5000 yen worth of MAGURO from the shop
All you need is a bowl
some plain rice a little WASABI...or a LOT
and some soy sauce!
this is called the KAISEN-DON
and its good
I think this is the best KAISEN-DON I've ever tasted
Do it yourself TSUKIJI breakfast is definitely the best way to go
If you prefer a faster breakfast
head to the outer market which is loaded with good food
let's try this KAISEN-DON tent
the special bowl with the little of everything goes for 2300 yen
Looks good, but how does it taste?
so good
A breakfast fit for aquaman
TSUKIJI's inner fish market is really interesting to wander around in
this is a real working wholesale market and doing business is their first priority
But in the late morning after 9 a.m. vendors are much happier to allow photos
In here you can see everything
from flash frozen MAGURO being sliced by an electric saw
to fish being turned into seafood
It's real! Its raw!
There are four hundred types of seafood in here
so explore and buy something if you're still hungry
The world's biggest fish market is definitely worth a visit
watch out for those trolley tracks, dress for water and fish guts
and remember, leave with a stomach full of food and a smile on your face
Oh, and stay away from those knives!