The Tsujiki Fish market in Tokyo is biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and strangely and is a major attraction for foreign visitors who get up as early as 5:00 AM to come to the market. The highlight of the market is the daily auction which kicks of about 5:20 and runs through to 7:00 here wholesalers who are called nakaoroshi gyousha sell their fish to agents who are acting for restaurants, fish processing companies and retail outlets. Once the auction is finished the fish are either cut up and transported or transported whole to their next destination. It is amazing to see the knife action on the huge frozen tuna and swordfish, some of the blades are over a metre in length. The market closes at 11:00 to give them time to clean the place and get ready for the next shipments. The market is also home to the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market which sells about everything it is the largest wholesale market in the world. The markets are open six days a week being closed on Sunday and is only a short distance away from Ginza.
For more information: http://www.happyjappy.com/tokyo/ginza/tsukiji_fishmarket.html
or the official website: http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm
