Organised chaos at Tokyo fish market

The wholesale fish market was definitely an amazing experience. It was super busy with people on little vehicles driving up and down, empty Styrofoam boxes being thrown around, water and melted ice everywhere. People chopping up fish and sweeping up fish remains and pouring buckets of water and ice into bigger buckets of water and ice… A dangerous place for a tourist who doesn’t want to get wet and smell of fish all day!

Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

When I asked him if I could take a photo, he pulled this funny face. Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

Judging by the pool of blood on his work counter, you can guess what’s coming next…Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

A lot of the bigger fish vendors had these lovely ladies sitting in a little box office. While the people handling the fish were all men, the people in the boxes who counted the money were women. That’s how it should be!
Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

I was a bit later than I probably should have been, so people were just finishing their cleaning and most of the fish was already sold.  Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

There were so, so many of these vehicles whizzing around. It was really dangerous! They didn’t have any consideration for tourists…Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

This was a mini shop that was just outside the big wholesale market. I assume this is where the fishermen buy their newspapers and drinks after a hard morning’s work. Tokyo Tsukiji fish market Tokyo Tsukiji fish market Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

Tokyo Tsukiji fish market Tokyo Tsukiji fish market Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

This guy was chopping off fish heads the whole time and then threw them into that blue basket in the foreground. You didn’t want to stand too close because there was a lot of splatter when the heads landed in the basket. Tokyo Tsukiji fish market Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

This guy is enjoying a cigarette and a rest after work. Tokyo Tsukiji fish market
Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

Tokyo Tsukiji fish market

All photos taken by me with my LC-A+ and LC-Wide on Kodak Portra 400 35mm film.

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