Tsukiji is one of Tokyo's oldest fish markets where each morning tons of slithery fish are traded, bought and sold. Not surprising,considering the Japanese's love for fish -raw or mildly cooked, poisionous or not.
The buzz had begun at 4 am as we approached the market with Nakamura-san our guide for the morning. Nakamura-san worked as a salmon auctioneer years ago and he was the best man to guide us through Tsukiji's slushy maze.
Peak hour at Tsukiji. 4 am.Men deftly veered their mechanised buggy type trolleys loaded with chilled white cases through crowds of busy workers and wide eyed tourists like us yanked out of our beds. We leaped over pools of water , avoided getting knocked down by the buggies, avoided bumping into carts with more crates and gaped at as many sights our foggy 4 o clock eyes could take in.Nothing was familiar.
Before entering the main trading houses we made our ways through rows and rows of 'middlemen' shops for whom business had begun and a day of buying and selling lay ahead. To simplify the chain - 'middle men' buy fish off auctioneers from auction houses and sell their catch to restraunt owners and sushi chefs..
Big warehouse type halls housed rows and rows of fish of all variety - small,big, live, dead, slithering, still... all goods on the block for the day.Hoardes of these creatures in bubbling tubs of water, slithering about - octopus, puffer fish and other nameless ones.
But the piece de resistance or the stars of Tsukiji are really the tuna auctions which make for good entertainment. Before that the frozen tuna auctions had begun - huge lifeless blocks of icy tunas were lined up in a big hall painted with red paint numbers on their backs '1' 2, 3, 4... bold unequivocal strokes of a fish trader.....a man on the side with wet gum boots was mixing cans of red dribbly paint . Art flourished amidst gore;blood, red paint, sea water....all mingling happily in the gutters of Tsukiji. The tuna had tags telling us the fish's life story 'Guam', 'Australia' said the yellow tags - homelands where once these lifeless forms roamed. But now no time to moon....
Auctions were happening in small wooden rinks in one corner of the big warehouse. Buyers in blue jumpers with badges on their caps, small books with their short lists in their hand and a keen sense of fishonomics, were huddled in this rink, bidding silently - with just a slight wave of fingers (could well be strumming music) while the auctioneers rapidily rattled off numbers among other (presumably) important information. Business is brisk - one batch of tunas for a price, gone in a wink. Onto the next batch.
Then the crowning glory - the fresh tuna auctions. Would put an MTV rapper to shame. Each auctioneer jives to his own ryhthm - hopping up and down, swerving to the side, barking sounds - its all part of the serious business of tuna! We stood utterly amused and fascinated.
As we emerged from the cold wet insides of Tsukiji - our toes postively frozen- the day was breaking, the sky slightly flushed. It was 6 am. Middlemen proud with their day's buy were arranging them in rows. Nakamura-san whispered and showed us one grey distinguished man weilding a long samurai sword , deftly slicing through the innards of a huge fresh tuna. He was supposed to be a master in his trade. Patronised by well known sushi chefs. He attends auctions himself and now this - he trusts noone to do as good a job as himself.
By now sushi lovers were crowding outside their favorite sushi eateries - rows of them on Tsukiji's periphery. You cant get fresher than this! But we walked passed them, immune to the lure of juicy fillets. We were too busy locking away our memories of the fascinating drama that had unfolded before us - a well oiled, faultless machinery. Cogs within wheels each doing their bit to an invisible grand design honed over years. Millions of dollars of fish at stake.Zillion palates to satisfy.
Wrapped in our memories forever will be the jumping auctioneer, his wet gum boots bobbing to his funny rhythm and other surreal sights. All locked away under the already overcrowded 'Tokyo Memorable'.
For pictures check:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31522&l=3ea84&id=673787336
Glitch! Glitch! Photos will be uploaded once things are sorted out!
