Tsukiji Fish Market and Surrounds

International symbol for man-pushing-fish-in-a-trolley.

The Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo is the biggest seafood market in the world. It's also a tourist destination, but as a working market it's far less touristy than most of Tokyo's other attractions. Recently workers have complained of foreign tourists turning up 4am after a night drinking, joy riding on the fish-mobiles, interfering with the seafood and generally being annoying. Sadly we turned up too late to take part, but spent some time wandering around the small city of food stalls.

 

Winterised tree in Hamarikyu

Just down the road was Hamarikyu, a former duck hunting grounds and imperial garden. It is beautifully landscaped and many of the older trees have protective structures to support branches or prevent snow damage. Across a crooked bridge in the middle of a pond was a small tea house. We sat on tatami mats and looked out over the water. The frothy green tea came with a detailed instruction sheet outlining correct tea drinking etiquette. I lost track after step four but as we were the only people there I think it was ok.

Handsome Japanese ducks.

For hundreds of years the park was used by local shoguns as a sort of vast duck catching machine. The islands were originally created for ducks to safely nest and raise their young. Dozens of high-banked blind channels were dug leading off the ponds, and, using rice, tame decoy ducks were trained to swim up the channels on cue. The wild ducks that followed them were caught in nets by hunters hiding on the banks. So many ducks were caught this way, a stone memorial was erected to "comfort and console the spirits of the ducks". We found it down a dark path near the remnant channels. I felt sorry for the ducks but couldn't help but admire the ingenuity of the system that worked so effectively for 300 years.

The Sumida River borders one side of the gardens. This is the main river that runs through Tokyo, and is probably about the same size as the Thames. Unlike the Thames, it's not a particularly beautiful river, and there's not a lot to see once you are on it. The tourist boats that run up and down are a good way of getting from place to place, though. We caught one back to Asakusa.