Fish Auction

Our second day in Tokyo is a cracker. It begins at 0430 with our guide and driver picking us up for the ride to the Toyoso Fish Auction. This has been Carol's dream for years. It is a wild and crazy experience. A warehouse floor filled with seemingly endless tuna, buyers with flashlights and picks banging away at the frozen fish to ensure they are adequately frozen, and then the hectic pace of the auction.

There are two viewing areas. On the third floor is a public viewing area. On the second floor, there is room for a smaller group, a group that has won a lottery to get tickets. We won the lottery!

Most of the tuna is frozen for use as sashimi or sushi. Some is auctioned fresh.

A round section is removed for buyers to see the quality of the tuna.

Shortly after the auction begins we are joined by a friend of our guide, one of the buyers.

The auction is a quick paced and hectic affair. Auctioneers move from one row of tuna to the next. Each row is auctioned off in minutes.

This is a Tokyo event that is not to be missed.

After the auction we walk to the wholesale market where the public is not allowed. Our guide escorts us past the guards to the market of the fellow we met earlier. She purchases tuna for the evening, we get to view the hustle and bustle of the market even though we're not supposed to be allowed in. 

Motorized forklifts and specialty vehicles whizz around making walking in the market a danger to the life of novices. No wonder they prohibit civilians like us.