Let’s face it- field trips bore the scales off many a school of fish- chaperones included. However, desperate to invade the privacy of Offspring #1, I happily volunteered to lead a grumpy group of uninterested middle schoolers through the Tsukiji Fish Market- the largest wholesale fish market in the world. Since my expectations of civility from my charges are lofty, I am a teacher preference. My own offspring, accustomed to my demands for behavior perfection in public find it humorous when unsuspecting classmates are the victim of a “behavior modifying” assault usually reserved for them. Up until this year, Offspring #1 was always glad to have me along but this year an invisibility cloak would be needed. On this trip, the only behavior modifying would be mine.

As it turned out, my group was so well-behaved I didn’t have to learn any names. This complete freedom from shuffling kids to and from the bathroom allowed me to actually enjoy a field trip.

As  mentioned previously, Tsukiji Fish Market is the largest in the world and sells about 2,500 tons of sea food a day. The first tuna of the season sells for between $500,000 and $1,000,000. Pricey. All fish markets are the same in general- lots of fish on ice. Pikes Place in Seattle will toss a few salmon around for a photo-op. I’m not going to bother with those- I just took a few of the more entertaining shots. Take for instance, this:

These are the size of my hand and the length of my forearm.

Anyone for a heaping helping of these? Tiny eels swimming so fast in a circle they’ve kicked up some froth in the center.

I really enjoy eel but I don’t want to be reminded of the snake-like appearance….

There is so much octopus served here it’s not even exotic anymore

Sea Urchin- Long ago I thought this was possibly the most wretched food eaten—-

Until I came across this:

Followed closely by this- which at $140 must be pretty tasty-

Here’s a little gift basket I’ll be picking up for a few family members:

Some dried snacks for Friday night movie watching:

A little something that really brought on that nostalgic feeling from my New Orleans days:

This is a mystery to me:

Aren’t these poisonous?

Maybe a scallop or bivalve of some kind? Anyone have any idea?

Some very pretty shrimp

Some very expensive shrimp, $70:

The whole octopus:

As my niece would say after too many episodes of South Park,”What the HELL is that?”

Of course, tuna:

Now for my Arty shots- remember what some of have called art….

A “Must See” on any Tokyo tour, this is the tip of the ice burg. Tuna Auctions take place between 3-4:00 AM every day for the jet lagged. Come visit- we’ll catch a cab, walk the market, and get a cheap sushi breakfast about 8:00….