Tsukiji Market

Tsukiji Market (築地市場, Tsukiji Shijō) is a large wholesale market for fish in central Tokyo. The market is best known as one of the world's largest fish markets, handling over 2,000 tons of marine products per day. The market opens most mornings at 3:00 a.m. with the arrival of the products by ship, truck and plane from all over the world. Particularly impressive is the unloading of tons of frozen tuna. The auction houses then estimate the value and prepare the incoming products for the auctions. The buyers also inspect the fish to estimate which fish they would like to bid for and at which price. The auctions start around 5:20 a.m. and end around 7:00 a.m. Afterward, the purchased fish is either loaded onto trucks to be shipped to the next destination or on small carts and moved to the many shops inside the market.