築地(Tsukiji Market)....

After 1 year I finally got around to going to Tsukiji. It was impressive to say the least. We got there around 9am. I didn't want to go to early and get caught among a mass of people. Yet, it was still busy at that time. I actually managed to do my shopping for dinner, and then some. We ended picking up tamagoyaki(my son's favorite), freshly shaved katsuoboshi, fresh wasabi, chutoro, and some fresh lobsters(the only place that you can actually find fresh lobsters in Japan).

Tsujiki temple

Tamago yaki
Freshly shaved katsuoboshi

Fresh Wasabi

You gotta watch out for these guys driving around in these carts especially if you bring kids here.

Preparing unagi

Shucking clams

あわび (Abalone)

Freshly cut maguro for sale

Assorted fresh crab

たこ (octopus)

I actually had the chance to watch them cut up a whole tuna which was somewhat なつかしい. My first duties, when I started as a kitchen apprentice, was working in the butchery at the Guam Hilton. There we would actually get whole fish like this and have to cut and prepare the fish for cooking. Yet, we didn't have that 1.5 meter katana-like knife that they had to disect that fish which I thought was pretty cool. I'm sure there must be a name for that knife.

The finished product. Beautiful cuts of hon maguro. The top two shelves are the belly cut of the hon maguro, the most expensive and best cuts of the fish.