After wandering the streets of Ginza, I suggested we walk over to Tsukiji Fish Market. What a mistake beacuse it was definitely more than a 20 minute walk and normally in Vancouver this is fine, but when we’ve been walking non-stop for a few days already, our feet weren’t feeling it. After making various pit stops, we finally arrived at the market. The market was supposed to move near Odaiba in late 2016, but it seems like they have delayed this until 2018.

Tsukiji Market is a wholesale market for seafood, fruits, and vegetable. The market is one of the most famous in Tokyo because of the amount of fish it handles. Tourists can actually visit the market in the morning to watch the tuna get auctioned. However, you’ll need to get here around 5am to make the cut as there are limited spots. Otherwise, you should stop by in the early mornings to catch the most action. You can’t enter the warehouse before 10am though as they are afraid tourists will disrupt business at its peak. If you choose to arrive early, you can still check out the outer market, which is an area with retailers and restaurants. This is where you can enjoy a sushi breakfast as well and some arrive as early as 5am to get their sushi! We arrived around 2pm, which is usually the time many of the stores along the market begin to close down so it definitely wasn’t as lively.

You’ll still find some retailers open but I’m not sure how fresh the fish would be anymore as the best would probably have been sold out by now. If you love sashimi, this is the market to get your fix! Tons of chirashi-don stores.

There are also many stalls that sell quick snacks like these grilled scallops with sea urchin on top. Looks delicious!

As we already had lunch and S doesn’t eat sashimi, we decided on a light snack instead. Tamagoyaki is very popular at the market! You will find some stores that have much fancier decor and packaging, but the 100 yen price at this store caught our attention.

Tamagoyaki is a Japanese omelette which has requires the chef to perfect the skill of making many thin layers or folds. It is slightly sweet and is paired with some soy sauce.

For 100 yen at this stall, we got a large chunk of tamogoyaki and it broke apart so easily because of how fluffy it was! I’m sure some of the fancier stalls are much better, but this already satisfied my craving and tasted delicious!

As there wasn’t much going on at the Tsukiji Market by the time we arrived, we ended up training to Roppongi district. Roppongi is known as the city’s most popular nightlife district for foreigners. There are many bars, restaurants, and nightclubs that cater to the foreigners. Hence, prices are also higher in this area.

After walking around the area, we couldn’t really settle with a restaurant and ended up training back to Shinjuku. Shinjuku is so busy at night and fun to walk around with all the bright lights.

After a long day of walking, we just wanted something fast to eat and we settled at a random shop that seems to specialize in tempura type dishes and rice bowls. This is a super casual spot and again you can purchase your ticket in the vending machine before entering.

S had the Pork Cutlet on Rice which was served very home-style. Definitely nothing spectacular, but it was cheap and quick.

For myself, I got the combo which included prawn tempura, pork cutlet, and some meat patty that was battered and deep fried. The oil was definitely old as the colour was very dark. The coleslaw on the side helped make the dish less oily. Miso soup and rice was also included.

Overall, if you’re looking for some quick, affordable food, then these spots may work out for you.

Tsukiji Market
Address: 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo 104-0045, Tokyo Prefecture

Roppongi
Address: Roppongi, Minato 106-0032, Tokyo Prefecture