Tsukiji Tuna Auction

The old Tsukiji Fish Market and Tuna Auction

Once branded as the single, most important, fish auction in the world, the morning tuna auction at Tsukiji market at the Tokyo docks is certainly absolutely amazing. True, it is hard to get into, it is very regimented and highly controlled, it is not very conducive to photography but it is an absolutely must-do for any adventurous traveller and certainly for any photographer. In recent years the market has moved from its previous location into ultra sleek, modern premises, with high-end restaurants and glass-enclosed viewing booths for tourists.

Two selected and sold fish are loaded ready to be dispatched to the buyer

With all the trickiness involved in visiting the auction, it is surprisingly easy to get to - if you don’t mind skipping some sleep, sitting on the floor and, well, walking through a wet and freezing seafood market. But let me explain:first of all, some history:The Tsukiji market is the main seafood market in Tokyo and the largest wholesale seafood market in the world, and one of its main features - and a massive tourist attraction - is the daily tuna auction where some of the most expensive tuna in the world is sold. Restaurants from as far as New York and LA contract buyers in Tokyo to source their sushi tuna from there, often paying up to 20,000 USD per fish with the record recently going to $400,000 for a single tuna fish!The market was established as far back as the Edo period to provide food for the imperial castle in Tokyo, but was essentially given its structure in the early 1900s when the government intervened to regulate the provision, sourcing and selling of food stuffs across Japan, following the Rice Riots of 1918. The market in its today form was established in 1923 - so it’s almost 100 years old and still operating as in day 1 (even after its relocation to its current spot following the destruction of the original site in the earthquake which struck it the very first year of its operation (talk about bad omen ey?)The market area itself is separated into two main smaller sub-areas: the inner market (containing the auction area and over 900 sellers selling anything from rare crabs, all kinds of fish and shellfish and any manner of crustaceans you can think of) and the outer market containing restaurants, utensil shops and other food-related items, including vegetables (even though those are actually located outside the main fenced market area).

so, what happens today? (2022 Update - the market has now permanently moved to its new, more luxurious premises, far away from central Tokyo. Everything described in this article refers to the old market. However not all is lost - the old fish market is still there for other types of seafood and fish, so if you stroll there you can still catch a glimpse of how it used to be)And now we come to today and what is involved in a visit. First things first: timing. There are two auctions every morning, one at 6:00 and another at 6:30 (but please, check these timings as things may change) and visitors are allowed on the auction floor in both of them. It is the manner in which these visits are organised however where the complexity lies. Because while visitors are indeed allowed (and for free as well!), only 120 of them (60 on each group) are allowed each day, no exceptions.

And visitors are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, meaning if you show up late(r) you simply be turned away and will have to repeat the task the following day (if you are so brave!) You see, the doors to the visitor centre open around 3 or 3:30am (yes, that’s in the morning!) and most nights, visitors are already lining the sidewalk waiting to be allowed in. Sounds crazy? Maybe, but hey, for anyone wanting to see the action, this is what needs to be done. By 4:30 almost all 120 slots are filled (I’m sure some days this happens earlier if a large group shows up - in our visit there was a group of around 20 or so Italians!) and the waiting begins.Visitors are grouped into two large groups and shown into the waiting area where there are no seats! Nothing! This means you get to sit on the, admittedly spotless, floor among everyone else to spend the next 90’ or so (depending on when you arrived) waiting. There is nothing to do that you have not brought with you (a book, video, whatever) but, of course, you may be lucky and end up sitting next to interesting people and chat for a while. Still, 90’ or whatever is a long time to wait sitting on the floor, so please, be prepared for this. About 20’ before the first auction a worker who speaks English will actually come in, welcome you and explain the process, what you are and not allowed to do, the protocol you’re supposed to follow. You can ask any question you may want there and then, as there will be no opportunity to do so after you leave the waiting room! At the end of the briefing, each group is given a different coloured vest (if I remember well, it’s blue and red) and once everyone has their vest on (and yes, this is Japan, so everyone means everyone!) and then, at 10’ before the first auction is due to begin, the first group is quietly led through the chaos of the market (please, be sure to stay close to your guide and heed his every advice as the route between the visitor and the auction areas is actually quite dangerous (there are forklifts and other mechanised vehicles criss-crossing the area at great speeds - please remember that this is a working market and people still need to perform their tasks, so don’t get in their way!)

Each fish is meticulously inspected using powerful torches to bring out fat content and distribution through the main area

A bit of the tail-end of each fish is cut and presented as a slice to show colour and texture throughout

To the photographers among you, a few words of caution and advice: first, try to be among the first people behind the guide. As you will be herded into the auction area, the people at the front will be in the best possible position to capture the best images. Second, during your walk you will see about a thousand things you’d like to stop and shoot - trust me, you will! Don’t stop as nobody will wait for you and you will miss the main event. If you have your camera ready and see if you can capture something very quickly - I got two of my favourite shots while walking to the auction hall - but be ready for some of the quickest framing and focusing of your life!Once through the doors of the auction floor, you will be lined up against a thick rope placed on the floor, running the length of the floor, from the back all the way to the front where the auctioneer stands and where all the sample tuna is laid for display and examination. Normally you are only allowed to stand side by side, only one deep, but, if you followed my advice above, you will be in prime place and, let me tell you, a lot of the other visitors may try and squeeze past the guards and push through you to get to your spot (whether you choose to let them or not, is up to you, but when a very rude Italian tried to push me to get some pictures, I was not as polite! After all, you only get 15’ to experience everything and, let me tell you, every moment counts! But for now, lets assume you’re in the prime place I advised you to be earlier and you have an excellent view of the area! Before you you will see four things: a long row of frozen tuna, each with a thin slice at their tail cut open for inspection (read more on that below), the small area where the auctioneer will stand (with his assistants) for the 4-5 short minutes the actual auction lasts, the area, on the other side of the row of tuna where all the bidders and their specialist representatives stand and, finally, the packing and weighing area, just behind the auctioneer. From your spot, you will have about 8-10’ to take as many images as you want, with no restriction, but you cannot move from your spot. However, you actually don’t need to as you will literally be within a couple of meters from the action, so fire away.At this point I usually put out some photography related advice but following the move of the market to its new premises, none of what I had to offer is applicable. The new market has luxury restaurants and the auction area is only observable from a wraparound raised platform, approximately 12m high and behind thick glass. There visitors (who are not longer - from what I hear - capped) can observe the process in comfort and staying warm, with chairs and comfortable benches - there are even charging spots for their mobile phones. Seeing each auction lasts just 2-3', the whole experience must completely suck - it's become clinical, comfortable and so completely sanitised that I would not go even if someone paid me. I get why they did it, but having experienced the original, I simply cannot bring myself to go to its modern reincarnation.

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