This year’s most expensive tuna sold at 7,360,000 JPY or roughly $70,325 US dollars. The tuna weighed about 230 kg. The price per kilogram was about 32,000 JPY or roughly $305 US dollars. The tuna came from Ohma in Aomori prefecture. The tuna was bought by the sushi chain, Sushi Zanmai. Sushi Zanmai has bought…
Category: Tsukiji
Tsukiji Market Calendar 2014
Food Sake Tokyo has had a busy year with food tours in Tokyo in 2013. We are already booking up dates in 2014. The most popular destinations in 2013 include Tsukiji Market, depachika, and Nihonbashi. The 2014 Tsukiji Market Calendar is now available online. As for it’s move. Newspapers are reporting 2015 for a move…
Food Sake Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market Tour
Tsukiji Market, the world’s largest seafood market, is in the heart of Tokyo. It is a short walk from the glitzy Ginza shopping district and just minutes from the renovated Kabukiza theater. It’s one of Tokyo’s most popular tourist destinations with visitors. And, it is our most popular tour that our company, Food Sake Tokyo,…
Popular Donburi in Japan 日本の丼
Oyako-don from Tamahide in Ningyocho Donburi 丼 are simple and fast meal. It is a large bowl of hot rice with toppings. We often make it for lunch as it is not only easy to assemble, but also easy to clean up after the meal. Many restaurants often serve donburi at lunchtime as an affordable option,…
2013 Tsukiji Market Record Tuna by Numbers
2013 Hon-Maguro Tuna sold at Tsukiji Auction photo by Ken Banwell This fresh tuna is a hon-maguro from Ohma in Aomori prefecture in the northern part of Japan. Ohma hon-maguro is considered by many to be the very best specimen of tuna in the world. It was sold on Saturday, January 5th, 2013, the first…
Tsukiji Market Move to Toyosu Extended to March of 2015
FNN News in Japan has reported that Tsukiji Market’s move to Toyosu has been extended one more year to March, 2015. Part of the delay is due to the amount of time that is needed to clean the soil in the new location. While the move was scheduled for sometime in 2014 it’s been pushed…
Tsukiji Market Cheap Eats – Tenfusa Tempura
One of my indulgent breakfasts at Tsukiji Market is tempura anago at Tenfusa. Tenfusa is on the same block of restaurants as the popular Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi. While crowds of people queue for a rushed sushi breakfast I like to slide right by them, push aside the noren and slide open the door…
Tsukiji Market Cheap Eats – Toritoh Chicken
While many come to Tsukiji Market for sushi, I prefer to have warm dishes first thing in the morning. There is a wide variety of restaurants offering up more than just raw fish. Toritoh is both a restaurant and a retail shop. The retail shop in the outer market that sells both raw and cooked…
Tsukiji Cheap Eats – Orimine Bakers
Tokyo is filled with many wonderful bakeries. I have favorites throughout the city including Viron, Gontran Cherrier, and Maison Kayser. As the city is so big it’s a good to have a knowledge of where the great bakeries are as you never know when you’ll find yourself in an area with great bread. Orimine Bakers…
Tsukiji Market Tuna Auction Closed Until January 21
The end of the year brings on the biggest sales for many food and beverage companies in Japan. In particular, Tsukiji Market is extremely busy in December and the beginning of January. The market has announced that the tuna auction is closed for this time of year and will reopen to the public on January…
Tsukiji Market Move to Toyosu in 2014
NHK reports on the evening news that it has been decided that the world’s largest seafood market, Tsukiji Market, will move to Toyosu in 2014. While the information in this brochure is in Japanese, if you scroll down you can see sketches of what the future market will look like. Space has been reserved to…
Tsukiji Market Calendar 2013
Kibun Satsuma-age (fish cakes) UPDATE as of 1/2/2013: Tsukiji Market move to Toyosu has been pushed back one year to March of 2015. If you are planning to visit Tsukiji Market in 2013 it is best to consult the official market calendar here and avoid days highlighted in red or purple: http://www.shijou.metro.tokyo.jp/calendar/2013.html#tabs-1 New rules for…
Tsukiji Market Cheap Eats – Indo Curry Nakaei 印度カレー中栄
Half and Half (Karakuchi and Tomato Fumi) For over 100 years Indo Curry Nakaei 印度カレー中栄 has been making it’s spicy curry for the market workers. The original shop, in Nihonbashi, opened in 1912. Nihonbashi is where the fish market was before it moved to its current location. The curries here are made from scratch and…
January Japanese Seasonal Seafood 一月旬の魚
January Japanese Seasonal Seafood The seafood in winter is rich with fat as the fish protects itself from the cold waters. Some sashimi eaten this time of year will be a bit oily as a result. As always, we love to have most seafood as sashimi when possible, in particular tairagai and yari ika….
Tsukiji Market Holiday Schedule 2011
Just a reminder that Tsukiji Market is closed not only on Sundays, but other days this month due to the holidays. Here is the market calendar for 2011 and 2012. Below are the days it is closed for the next four weeks. Dec. 11, 14, 18, 23, 25 (short day), 31 January 1-4, 8-9 If…
Grazing Tsukiji Market
Grazing is not really recommended in Japan. Walking while eating can be seen as impolite. But one place where there are lots of small bites for sale is Tsukiji Market. If you do want to graze here my only suggestion is that you step off to the side and eat before you move on. Tsukiji…
Where to Have Sushi at Tsukiji Market
Daiwa Sushi and Sushi Dai are two of the most commonly heard sushi shop names at Tsukiji Market. The problem is that they are so popular that they have such long lines, some queue for three hours. And yes, the sushi is great here, but is it worth hours standing in line? And for me,…
Tsukiji Market Cheap Eats
There are so many great places to grab a cheap and delicious bite at Tsukiji Market. And don’t worry if you can’t stomach raw fish first thing in the morning. Most of these places open early in the morning and close after lunch. Here is a short list of some of my favorites: Tenfusa 天房…
Orimine Bakers near Tsukiji Market 築地のパン屋「オリミネベーカーズ」
A great little bakery near Tsukiji has opened up and is definitely worth checking out if you are in the area. The name of the shop is printed in gold on the windows, reminds me of Balthazar Bakery in Soho. You can’t miss its green and white awning and the green exterior. The breads range…
Tokyo Do’s and Don’t’s
Do visit a depachika, the epicurean food floors in the basement of major department stores. My favorites are Takashimaya (both in Nihonbashi and Shinjuku), Isetan in Shinjuku, Mitsukoshi in Ginza, Tokyu Toyokoten in Shibuya, and Tobu in Ikebukuro. An incredible variety of food is exquisitely presented. In particular, be sure to check out the wagashi…
Kaiseki at Tsukiji Tamura つきぢ田村
Tsukiji Tamura つきぢ田村 Chuo-ku, Tsukiji 2-12-11 中央区築地2-12-11 Tel. 03-3541-2591 11:30 – 15:00, 17:00 – 22:00, Monday – Friday 11:30 – 22:00, weekend and holidays http://www.tsukiji-tamura.com A few blocks away from the market, Tsukiji Tamura is a top destination for kaiseki cuisine by third generation chef Takashi Tamura. His father, Teruaki Takashi has penned a book…
Japanese Knife Shops in Tokyo
Tsukiji Masamoto There are several knife shops in the market. Some of them are friendlier than others. Fifth generation Tsukiji Masamoto (opened in 1891) has always been on the friendly side and has an English speaking staff on some days. This is where my husband and I have purchased knives in the past and we love…
Tsukiji Tuna Auction
My friend Alistair Douglas got his Ph.D. in tuna and he sent me these amazing photos from the opening tuna auction at the world famous Tsukiji Market for the new decade. I love the pomp and circumstance with the opening ceremony, the school of media documenting the occasion, and you have to love Alistair’s sense…
Tokyo Cheap Eats – Tsukiji Market’s Yoshinoya
Yoshinoya is a popular fast-food chain famous for its gyudon, thin slices of beef cooked with onions and a sweet soy sauce are ladled over a bowl of rice. A branch of Yoshinoya is in New York City on 42nd Street. The first shop in the chain dates back to 1899 and was located near…
Foodie’s Guide to Tokyo Part 1/2
This article which first appeared in Metropolis magazine highlights do not miss spots in Tokyo for foodies. http://archive.metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/674/localflavors.asp (text follows) We are spoiled rotten here in Tokyo. The food-savvy consumers of Japan have raised the bar for the dining culture to a level found in only a few cities throughout the world. Here are my…
B Kyu Gourmet – Cheap Eats in Tokyo B級グルメ
Here are some of my favorite restaurants that won’t break the bank. This article first appeared in Metropolis on November 5, 2009. http://metropolis.co.jp/dining/local-flavors/the-b-list/ The most sought-after tables in recession-hit Tokyo can be found at so-called B-kyu gurume restaurants. These eateries typically specialize in a single cuisine—soba or tonkatsu, for example—served in simple settings without the lacquerware…
Food Sake Tokyo 