The Place to be Adventurous with Your Morning Meal
While it is no longer a place to catch riveting tuna auctions, Tsukiji Fish Market is still not to be missed as one of the most exciting destinations if you plan to have an extraordinary breakfast experience in Japan.
Granted, your menu will be mainly seafood in the likes of sashimi and sushi given the nature of the market place but the plethora of palate pleasing delights available at every corner of the market will get you a happy belly.
When manoeuvering from lane to lane at the market, it would be best to start your several coursed-meal with the gigantic oysters some of the stalls offer. Gulp down this smooth meaty appetizer for ¥400 – ¥500 a pop and try to stop at your second because that is only the beginning of your eat-and-tour adventure.
From there proceed to the selection of your main course. This would be a temptation tug-of-war that pulls you towards the sights, sounds, and smells from each stall bearing grilled seafood delights and fresh raw slices of ocean goodness. The choice is yours from sushi, sashimi, tonkatsu, tempura, or fish and seafood of any sort – simmered, salt-broiled, and boiled – this is your time to go crazy on what you want in your belly!
If you are a fan of grilled eats, the smell of barbequed scallops, octopus, prawns, and eels should be able to guide you straight to the stalls. A few skewers of the juicy and fresh seafood to nibble on in hand should do it while you survey for your next bite.
Keep in mind that the best quality, high-grade seafood are here so if you want to load on the freshest tuna, head to the stalls with the head of the tuna plonked on the counter. Get a close-up of your meal being deconstructed for your gastronomic pleasure.
To sweeten your breakfast deal, grab one of the infamous strawberry daifuku which is a big glob of flavored chewy mochi with a huge juicy strawberry nestled in the middle, for just ¥350 each. Fans of mochi can also go find the original warabimochi (mochi cube on sticks) and munch to your hearts’ content on the choices of roasted soybean, black sesame, matcha, roasted green tea, or chocolate flavour. Get three pieces of waramochi for ¥250.
A YOUTUBER BY THE NAME OF PAOLO HAS BEEN POPULARISING A PARTICULAR UNIMAN KIWAMI (SEA URCHIN BUN) AT TSUKIJI FISH MARKET.
If you are unfamiliar with the amicable guy with the wide grin who promotes Japan and everything good about it via his social media vehicles, try spotting the black buns filled with sea urchin cream topped with orange sea urchin in the middle sitting in the cubed pau glass warmer. . This you can have for ¥860 a pop.
While these are just a handful of mouthwatering recommendations for your Tsukiji fish market breakfast menu, be reminded that heading to this gourmet Disneyland will challenge your willpower and those pants! To ensure you get the best (if not all!) of the good food there, get yourself to the market early (it opens up at 5a.m.) and take your time to devour all the delicious food there. Enjoy!