Day 9, Part 1 | Tsukiji Market and Akihabara (the electronics nirvana)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market (東京都中央卸売市場 Tōkyō-to Chūō Oroshiuri Shijō^?), commonly known as theTsukiji Market (築地市場 Tsukiji shijō^?), is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. The market is located in Tsukiji in central Tokyo, and is a major attraction for foreign visitors. – Wikipedia

Right before the Japan trip, I read somewhere that the decades-old iconic Tsukiji Fish Market (since 1935) was going to be relocated prior to the 2020 Olympics. This was our only chance to visit a soon to be historical site. A must-not-miss. Of course, part of the pull was to eat fresh sushi and sashimi in Japan. Reports of radiation contamination due to a nuclear plant leak did not deter me at all. That’s just me.

The seafood auction begins at the wee hours of the morning and usually finishes at 7:00am. So by the time tourists like us arrive, we will only see the packing and shipping post-auction.

Inner Tsukiji Market post-auction

A visit to Tsukiji Market is best combined with a fresh sushi breakfast or lunch at one of the local restaurants. There are restaurants both in the inner and outer market area, which are typically open from 5:00 in the morning to around noon or early afternoon. – Wikipedia

We then proceeded to the “outer market” to find some fresh shushi. I found a sushi bar that had no queue (how lucky!). The sushi was exquisite. Watch the sushi master at work!

Brunch done, we proceeded to Akihabara for another sightseeing shopping walk.

Dining #2 | Shimbashi street crawl and a Yakitori food bar

Ariel and I went on a street crawl around Shimbashi one night. But first, let me acknowledge how grateful I am to have grandma travel with us, my ever-reliable babysitter (for Migo).

Shimbashi was the district where we were holed up for 5 nights in Tokyo. Shimbashi station is an old train station, surrounded by hole-in-the-walls in its labyrinth of alleyways. I noticed that several of these places are standing-only affairs. Wow. Standing while eating? We gotta try that!

The appetizer that we thought was beans or some such.

We decided to try authentic yakitori this time. We found a yakitori hole-in-the-wall and saw that the ground floor was packed. So we went up to the second floor where we squeezed into a table. Tight and cozy.

“Sumimasen! Beeru kudasai!”, we requested in our pidgin Japanese.

“And a plate of yakitori please”, pointing to the picture on the wall, as there was no English menu. The young waiter pondered and asked if we wanted a “big plate”?

“How many skewers is in a big plate?” (Actually we asked “How many sticks?”)

He answered “18”.

Whoa, that’s plenty! “How about a small plate?”

“6!”, the nice-looking waiter proudly responded.

“Hai! Small plate please!”

It was 8pm and the place was packed with corporate-type Japanese. Their form of winding down was “eating, smoking and drinking”. A few women were present and they all drank beer too. The smell of tobacco is unavoidable in most eating places. So have a little bit of forbearance if you want to mix in with the locals. Ariel and I were determined to experience the local life.

The place was cramped, smoky and filled with conversation.

The two elderly waiters were well dressed with ties and speak no English. The younger waiter was wearing a traditonal yukata garb.

Our yakitori plate consisted of skewered chicken thighs, chicken mince and something that I guessed to be chicken skin seared to crispy perfection. We soaked in the Japanese atmosphere around us. We ate, drank and enjoyed our third date night for this trip. The hubby was happy and his happiness washed over me.

“Well done, wookie, for picking this place”, he said and “Kampai!”

Tha yakitori bar brightly lit from outside