Tokyo Neighbourhoods: Ginza and Tsukiji Market

Tsukiji Market

 If you have not visited Tsukiji market, you have not visited Tokyo.  Due to the problems found on the site of the “new” Tsukiji market, this famous fish wholesale mart had not yet shifted at the time of our visit, so we decided to take a trip and see the old market before it was torn down. The other reason is of course that we went to find the freshest, yummiest sashimi to tuck into.

Now if you read all the websites, they give you lots of advice on how to get there - the need to get there at the truly unearthly hour of 3am in the morning, bring warm clothing because it is pretty cold in the market etc etc.

Within the inner market

None of this was relevant to us as we were not so fanatical as to make the 3am trip to the market.  Insteadwe went there after the wholesale market is opened to visitors, after 10am.  The area itself is a cavernous place, and at this point in time it had mostly emptied out, with the remaining stallholders mostly just cleaning the place up.  But I could see why there was a need to redevelop - shops cramped together; the floor was uneven and the lighting dim.   Big styrofoam boxes line the narrow lanes between the stalls and every now and then we have to get out of the way as a little electric vehicle transports yet another load of boxes out of the market.

We walked around the stalls but quickly returned to the outer market.  It was still in operation - here is where tourists can buy themselves some yummy seafood, which is what we did.  But it was a bit late so we did not have much to choose from.  I have to admit that I had a much better food experience my previous visit to Tsukiji, with my Japanese-speaking colleague.  We had our fill then of Uni, grilled shellfish, prawn sashimi, all washed down with some crab soup.

Outer market - selling tuna

Nonetheless, it was still quite interesting to walk around the small buildings and shops.  One stall was selling freshly cut tuna, from a gigantic fish - half of it had already been cut and sold.  I wondered how long this gigantic fish had been swimming around in the ocean, until some fishing boat had hauled it in and brought it here for sale.  I don't think I am going to stop eating tuna but somehow the sight of the fish reminded me that we should also not eat to excess, and neither should we waste.  Anyway, I bought my lunchtime sushi from another stall.

Famous Wako building

After eating our sushi, we walked over to Ginza.  Technically this should have been in the “shopping neighbourhoods” post but then it would have been a really long post.  Ginza is the most exclusive shopping district in Japan.  You can read all about what to see and do in Ginza here.

The famous 4-chome intersection in Ginza is in fact where all the famous stores are - Wako, Mitsukoshi, Ginza Place (where the Nissan car gallery is) etc.  We went to Mitsukoshi, where we were delighted to find a quiet and restful oasis  - Mitsukoshi has a whole floor worth of space to rest, have a meal or cup of tea whilst looking at the roof tops of the surrounding buildings.

From here, we could see Mikimoto pearls - where Melania Trump had visited just two days earlier.  Ah yes, we visited Tokyo the same time as Donald Trump..... probably that also accounted for the helicopters flying around overhead too.

Ginza Place - opposite Wako

We didn't buy anything from Mitsukoshi, although we did wander around the store and visited its Food Hall in the basement (great temptation, but I did not succumb).

But we did manage some purchases at Uniqlo!  The Ginza Uniqlo is Uniqlo's flagship store - it is the largest in Japan with its 12 floors.  However, much of the merchandise was repeated across floors so I was not as bowled over by the selection as I had hoped to be.  Also, because it was selling more wintry clothing, my choices were further limited.  But, since there were some quite sweet baby clothes, I got some for my cousins who just gave birth.

I would not say that I’m a Ginza shopper - I immensely preferred the buzz around Shibuya, for example and the more affordable range and variety around Shinjuku station.  But I’m happy to come here just for a short visit, to complete my Tokyo shopping experience.