Tokyo Fish Market

What a crazy day already! It's 1:30PM here in Japan as I start this blog entry. My alarm went off at 4AM this morning!

I went with Microsoft & Atlas colleagues to the famous Tokyo Fish market this morning, which basically seemed like the middle of the night. As the vendors prepared their stalls, our goals was to stay out of the way of the hustle & bustle of their daily routine.

Having arrived at the Market at 5AM, we caught the Tuna Auction that started with a serious ringing of bells, then a NYSE-like exchange of shouts and hand signals by vendors securing their inventory for the morning. Our favorite auctioneer had a bit of a choreographed hop-step-jump that looked more Johnny Jump-Up than serious fish monger, but he was a fan favorite for a reason!

We then enjoyed walking through the maze of aisles -- think something 20x larger than Pike Place Market -- with stalls about 1/10 of the size. It was a serious market! While the smell could have been a bit more vanilla-scented for my taste, it was the most beautiful chaos I could imagine. There's something special about open markets; this was no exception. Rather, this may be what created the rule.

After the market visit, we stopped for a traditional sushi/beer breakfast at the locale that had the longest line... a true NYC move! The little place sat 12, so our 7 had a bit of a wait, but it was MORE than worth it! You would be amazed, Avid Reader, at the things I've been willing to put in my mouth. As such, I can offically say I'm not a fan of baby squid. The taste isn't so bad; the outer texture isn't either. It's the mealy middle that I don't love so much.


Bottom-line, yet another adventure had in Tokyo this morning. As I've always said, Avid Reader, these experiences wouldn't be adventures without someone to tell them to! Thanks for staying tuned so far!