Member-only story
On Monday night I visited Tsukiji Fish Market. I expected it would be a ghost town but I couldn’t have been more wrong!
If you follow Japanese media reports, you will know Tokyo Fish Market located in Tsukiji closed down this past weekend. The fishmongers and wholesalers have moved to a brand new, state-of-the-art facility in Toyosu.
I live 10 minutes walk from Tsukiji nearby fashionable Ginza. Every day I see trucks pulling into the market with loads of fresh fish, fruit and vegetables.
Shortly after 10 pm, I set off on my daily 10,000 steps. I didn’t follow my usual route north along Sumida River. Instead my feet turned south towards Tsukiji, the home of the famed Tokyo Fish Market.
Tsukiji is Tokyo’s most famous tourist attraction. At its peak, it had around 40,000 visitors a day, but it was never designed for the large number of tourists it receives.
Given the market had now closed, I don’t know what I expected. I walked out of sheer compulsion more than anything. I wanted to see the market one more time.
What I found bamboozled me. Nothing had changed!