First, let’s get the guy in leopard print boxers out of the way.

If you’ve been to the organized chaos that is Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market, then you probably came across this Japanese storeowner…and his head-turning boxers.

When I went there two weeks ago, I thought the man had just misplaced his pants that day, but reviewing my sister’s photos from their visit last May, I saw she had photographed him wearing the same thing.

He even gamely posed for a photo with my siblings!

Isn’t that just the cutest? :D

His racy choice of “office” fashion aside, the man’s store is worth checking out when you’re in Tsukiji’s outer market. He sells different kinds of beans, dried fruit, and pickled goodies—brought home some roasted black beans to snack on—and even if you’re not looking to buy, his free samples make for good appetizers before partaking of breakfast or lunch in any of the sushi places around the area.

If you’ve read up on the Tsukiji Market, then you’d know that “Tokyo’s Kitchen” is best known for its famous tuna auctions.

These auctions happen around 5 a.m.—and they only really let the earliest 120 visitors in—so I knew that I, Ms. Struggling Morning Person, stood no chance of making the list. But because Tsukiji Market is moving to a new location in Toyosu November next year, and because this time around I stayed in a hotel in Harumi, I peeled my sleepy, pre-showered self out of bed, rode Bus #5, and found myself in Tsukiji Market three stops later.

Can I just say that I love visiting local markets during travels? They never fail to give me sensory overload, and Tsukiji—with its many weird and wonderful things on sale and on display—definitely upped the ante.

When in the market, here’s a tip: If you’re there for the sushi, cross that off your to-do list IMMEDIATELY. It is incredibly important that you do not stop/pause in any of the stalls along the way. Otherwise, you’ll fall into the same trap I did. Street food and free sample-induced food coma (read: My ability to say NO to any food is close to ZERO in the morning).

By the time I made my way to the small sit-down restaurants in the outer market, my tummy barely had any room left for all that fresh, delectable, and sinfully vibrant array of sushi.

…but it’s not like THAT ever stopped me. >_<

Visiting Tsukiji Market? Check out how to get there HERE. 

Before I go, here’s a shameless plug: The Jetset Journo is now on Facebook :D Like my page, share the love, and the travel gods will reward you with 10 more stamps on your passport.

Happy Sunday!

-T-