Tokyo's Tsukiji Market is moving Oct 11th

-
The amazing Tsukiji market is one of Tokyo's biggest tourist attractions. We've been hearing for years now that it's going to move because of the Olympics. Then it wasn't. Then it was, but to a totally different place much closer. Well, now that we have an official date less than 3 months away for the move, I'm thinking it's about time to start accepting this as reality. 

The new market isn't too far from the old one

If you look at the map it's moving to a nearby infill island called Toyosu 40 minutes walk from the existing market. There are quite a few other attractions out in this area, so maybe visit the Miraikan science museum or the giant Gundam while you're there. The two main ways to get there are:
  • Take the Yurakacho line to Toyosu station, then switch to the Yurikamome line for Shijo-Mae station.
  • Take the Saikyo line to Kokusai-Tenjijo and then transfer to the Ariake station on the Yurikamome line to reach Shijo-Mae. If you're on Tokyo's west side (e.g., Shinjuku) this option has fewer transfers and the Saikyo line is eligible for Japan Rail Pass.
    Two main options for reaching the new market
Visiting the legendary tuna auctions will still be possible, but you'll be checking out the action from a glassed-in viewing area for visitors, not standing right on the auction floor. September 15th is last day to watch them in the old market. The old market is closing October 6th, 2018.

The ice man at Tsukiji

600+ merchants are moving, and the new location will also have space for many of Tsukiji's restaurants food stands. There's few things I love more than wandering through Tsukiji and just grazing. My fear is that if the new place is too "shopping mall food court"-esque, it'll kill off a lot of the magic.
Hopefully the new spot has the eggy bliss that is dashimaki tamago!

one of the best ways to eat tuna sashimi

There's also supposed to be some new restaurants and a posh onsen spa, too. The building has a green roof and solar panels, which will likely help counter the bad press it's gotten for being built on contaminated (but supposedly now cleaned up) ground.

New Toyosu market – explore the 3D map here

There's talk that the old location will be a temporary bus terminal for the 2020 Olympics and that it will then be converted to a massive "food theme park" with some parts of the old market returning in the 2025 time frame. I'm not holding my breath for that, given how contentious this move has been.

If you have an Apple TV (or get NHK on your cable), I highly recommend the Trails to Tsukiji series. Each episode follows an item from its auction at Tsukiji back to the person who grew it. They explore various way to cook the ingredients and the hosts are from countries around the world who are fluent in Japanese.

Other useful links











Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Finding and collecting Japanese Railway station stamps

-
Image
From Pokemon to Neko Atsume to shuinchou temple books , Japanese people love collecting things. If you've ever taken a ride on the glorious shinkansen bullet trains or ridden one of their extremely clean and punctual urban lines, then you know there's also a national obsession with great trains. The Eki stamp ("station stamp") is where those two obsessions meet . Most Japan Railways stations (including urban metro ones like the Yamanote line) have a unique stamp reflecting that station's history. Kids and train nerds (called "Tetchan") buy cute little books to collect the stamps of all the stations they've been to. The USA has a similar program with the national parks . One of my favorite stamps… All train-nerdiness aside, an Eki stamp book makes a great souvenir : it's flat, small, cheap, and light... and shouldn't take but a few moments to do when you're out and about. Special Eki stamp books are usually available at booksto
Read more

Southern Vermont's Frog Meadow Farm – a perfect getaway

-
Image
(updated October 2024) As I've said many times before , I'm not a big hotel person – I'd rather be out seeing the sights and meeting up with people than ensconced in the stylishly-bland, comfortable nowhere of a posh urban hotel. There are exceptions, though. Visiting a traditional Japanese ryokan inn immediately comes to mind. While they're often located in beautiful settings, the hotel itself is the primary destination. Beautiful seasonal food, soaking tubs and onsen baths, and lots of quiet time for just chilling out for a couple of days. For experiences like these, I'm very much a hotel snob. Wood-fired hot tub bliss Our first-ever trip to Vermont back in 2010 was specifically to visit Frog Meadow Farm in Newfane. A friend in San Francisco was describing it to us and it sounded a lot like an American ryokan for gay men: seasonal breakfasts, a wood-fired soaking tub, a massage studio, miles of private hiking and cross-country skiing trails, orchards and h
Read more

Where to find TOTO Washlets outside of Japan

-
Image
( updated Jun 2024 ) I love Washlet bidet toilets. I've had one in my house since my first visit to Japan 20 years ago and I love it when my hotel room or my plane has one. And it's not just me, the NYTimes wrote about them , and several competing brands have appeared in the US in recent years. If you want a Washlet in the sky, you don't have much of a choice – only ANA and JAL have them, and only in the premium cabins. (I think they have an exclusive arrangement with Toto, as we've not seen the Washlet appear even in the super luxurious middle eastern airlines that have butlers and onboard showers).  ウォシュレット! But what about hotels? As the spokesmodel in this commercial says, "I can't go on vacation anymore". A few of us were discussing this the other day and I said that yes, in fact, the presence of a Washlet would be a slam dunk for me when choosing a hotel. So I went poking around to find places outside of Japan that have them and started
Read more