Breakfast at Tsukiji’s

July 16

I work in Tsukiji (skee-jee), a commercial area known for having the freshest fish in Tokyo. That’s because the Tsukiji Fish Market is the biggest and best in the country and is on the must-see list for tourists. The only problem is you have to get up at the crack to see any action.

I admit I almost bagged it this morning. But, I was determined to make it happen this weekend, if only to be able to tell everyone at work, that yes, I HAVE been to the famous fish market. So, I was up with the birds and strolling through the stalls of fish at 7:00 am. I got there too late for the auctions; they start at 5AM, when the fishermen bring the catches of the day in from the sea. Apparently tourists were recently banned from going to the big tuna auctions anyway, due to bad behavior. Imagine that.

The market is huge and there are hundreds of vendors selling fish, meats, vegetables, flowers, and other wares. Amazingly, it doesn’t smell like fish at all. I guess that’s because the fish are so fresh that they don’t have time to develop BO. The other interesting thing is the number of restaurants in the area that are open and doing a brisk business at that hour. I found myself a little place that had an open seat near the door and ordered a few pieces of sushi. The people on either side of me were drinking beer. It was 8:00 AM.

After breakfast, I headed over to the Tourist Information Center in Yurakucho and got a shopping bag full of brochures for about 10 different towns in Japan. I want to plan out a few side trips so that I can see as much of the country as I can while I’m here. The ladies there were great. I was there when they opened at 9:00 so I had the full attention of four of the employees there. By the time I left at 9:45, there was a line out the door. The TIC is a great resource. They have all the info you need, in English, and will even make hotel reservations as long as you go in person. Since using the phone still gives me night terrors, I’m going to map out my trips then go back and have the ladies make the some calls for me.

On the domestic front, the sheets and towels provided by my building are, to put it kindly, substandard. My mother sent me here with a fabulous set of hot pink sheets, but I really needed a second set. I found what I needed in the shopping Mecca of Shinjiku. Tokyu Hands is a 7-floor store that is similar to Bed, Bath, & Beyond. (By the way, “Tokyu” is not a typo. The name of the gym is spelled that way too. Don’t know why.)

Kinokuniya Books, a 5-floor bookstore, is in the same building as TH. I stopped in there to pick up a few English-language magazines and the latest Harry Potter. I’ve been watching the coverage of kids all over the world camping out for the book. There were stacks of them here.

The book won’t be translated in Japanese for another year. Darn. My Professor McGonagall costume went unappreciated.