Tsukiji Fish Market

Japan is the Land of the Rising Sun, but also the land of the rising fishermen. There are many places in Japan that showcase the amazing gastronomical culture, eating habits and culinary techniques of Japan. Tsukiji Fish Port Market in Tokyo, among Nishiki Market in Kyoto and Dotonbori in Osaka are key places to experience this.

A short walk away from Ginza, Tsukiji Fish Market is an incredible way to dive into Japan's food culture. As the largest seafood market in the world, there is no unfamiliarity with the masses of people or fish that pass through this district. Fresh fish is imported to Tsukiji and exported throughout the rest of Japan. The market is noisy and rustic, and equal parts charming. It is in short, a sensory playground.

Whether you're seeing tuna being sliced finely with a sharp blade, feeling smooth ceramic rice bowls, smelling smokey grilled octopus, hearing stall owners yelling out "いらっしゃいませ (Irasshaimase)!" as you weave through crowds of people, and whether you are tasting freshly fried tempura, almost all senses are engaged.

Tsukiji Market is split into two markets, the inner and the outer market. The inner market is full of hustle and bustle where serious wholesalers and owners of restaurants bide their time and bid on the freshest and highest quality fish available. They take their time to taste the meat, For a glimpse into the Tuna Auctions, you can only organise these through tourists groups or by getting there during the early hours of the morning.

You cannot participate in the auction but you are permitted to take photographs. Be aware to be on your best behaviour and don't seek to obstruct business as usual, as it is very much an important aspect of business for many high-end restaurants and sellers. Only an approximate 120 tourists are admitted per day with stakeouts beginning at 3am on occasion.

All of the bowls I didn't buy

Get up close and personal with the chefs, eat at the sushi bar and watch them masterfully prepare the fish for you

That aside, to me the outer market is where the action is. You'll often find restaurants tucked away in between stalls selling fresh produce or pots and pans. Sounds and smells fill the fresh air as restaurant owners advertise the catch of the day. Keep an eye out for the stools and high counter tops, shaded by a simple tarp. They aren't places to be overlooked and often specialise in particular foods.

Be prepared to weave through people and under stalls

The fish market sells more than just fish

We did not limit ourselves to eating at only a sushi restaurant at the market. I instantly gravitated toward these strawberry mochi and proceeded to have my best tastebud sensation that morning. One piece was Y300 but were a reasonable size. Flavours ranged from custard cream, mango, matcha, strawberry and red bean. The mochi was soft, the flavours subtle but tasty and the fresh strawberries were incredibly plump and juicy. I found myself constantly dusting mochi rice powder from my lips. You will find a couple of stalls like this scattered throughout the market. 

Matcha strawberry mochi and custard strawberry mochi

We ate at Hokkushin Bussan, which specialises in exporting fish roe. Jason and I ordered kiwami-don, with a serving of medium fatty tuna, tuna, sea urchin, salmon roe, shrimp, chopped fatty tuna, scallop, salmon, squid, white fish and crab flakes. This dish was Y2280 (Approximately $27.00). The chirashi was the best way to sample the freshest and highest quality raw fish. We requested an extra serving of fatty tuna which had an amazing consistency and taste.

It was recently announced that Tsukji Market was moving to Toyosu in November 2016, approximately twenty minutes away by bus. I would recommend visiting the market while it is in its current location, if not to experience the atmosphere, admire the densely packed stalls, watch people weaving through lines to grab a seat at the sushi bar, then you must visit for the simple pleasure of eating high quality food. 

Popular restaurants at Tsukiji Fish Market:

• Sushi Dai
• Sushi Zanmai
• Tsukiji Kaggura
• Sushi Zanmai-Honten
• Tsukiji Sushisei Honten
• Aozora Sandaime Hafu 

Have a browse of the official Tsukiji Japanese Restaurant guide here for more food options, although in my opinion it's best to have a wander as you'll easily find some amazing food!

Paris Travel Guide: Sweets

Paris is the home of sweets. Deciding on which patisserie to go to is just as difficult as deciding on which attraction to visit. There is no denying that anything and everything in Paris is carefully constructed with finesse and ease - you can't go wrong anywhere you go, however each place has their specialties and their signature options and it does take a little while to navigate yourself around the best that is on offer. Just make sure your tastebuds and stomach are ready.

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Patisserie Sadaharu Aoki

For beautifully made, delicate and delicious morsels of flavour, you can't go past Sadaharu Aoki. Born in Japan but trained in both Paris and Tokyo, Sadaharu Aoki's skill and heritage are displayed in every treat in his patisseries. The only problem is then choosing which to eat out of the many amazing cakes, pastries, chocolates and macarons and then trying to convince yourself that you've bought it to eat, not just to admire! Notable selections include: Ginza (pictured), Tarte caramele sale, Citron praline, Matcha azuki, Tarte yuzu and any, if not all, macarons. 

Dalloyao

Since dazzling the Court of Versailles until the French revolution, Dalloyao has been dazzling the French with its gastronomic delights. It's most famous pastry is the Opera cake - cake and biscuit soaked in coffee syrup, layered with butter cream and topped with chocolate ganache. Layer upon layer of chocolate guiltiness.

Angelina

Angelina is as famous for its hot chocolate as it is for it's signature Mont blanc, a ball of meringue and fromage blanc (soft cream cheese), covered in whipped cream and chestnut imple. The Millefeuille vanille is also just as good, with thin sweet pastry cracking and crumbling when your spoon submerges itself in the vanilla cream.

Pierre Herme

It is said that you 'haven't done Paris if you haven't visited Pierre Herme', demigod pastry chef and king of macarons. His macarons are a cacophony of colours and flavours and are so sought after that Galleries Lafayette have three boutique stores set up throughout the shopping gallery. Each mouthful is a balance of interesting flavours with sometimes two or three combinations.

Les soeurs sucrees

Maybe I'm swayed because I visited this bakery/patisserie almost every day in Paris, but I wouldn't go back if their pain au chocolat, meringues and baguettes were not as good as they were. The pain au chocolat is reason enough to re-visit. Light, buttery and filled with just enough chocolate, these were our go-to. Everything is handmade fresh that morning.

L'Eclair de Genie

Who am I to ignore possibly the most incredible and interesting eclairs Paris has to offer? Eclairs have certainly been brought back, with copy-cat stores trying to reach that level of simplistic elegance L'Eclair de Genie is all about. I am not usually one for eclairs but these are by far an exception. Flavour combinations include pistachio and orange, passionfruit and raspberry and yuzu, cassis, and salted caramel praline. The flavours are unreal and a bite will lead to an explosion of delicious filling and are beautifully presented little works of pastry art.

Boulangerie Aux Castelblangeois

Living so close to this boulangerie, we tried many a delicious pastry. The views at the window are hypnotic and instead of just purchasing one sweet, you may find yourself doing what I did - purchasing four which I then had to somehow get home in one piece. Each day holds a different selection to choose from, however their amarys framboises (pictured) is one of the staples, as are their opera, tartlette caramel and tartlette citron pastries.

Pozzetto

Of course my list would not be complete without at least one gelato - from Pozzetto. For gelato handed to you through a window above a selection of amazing flavours, Pozzetto is the way to go and it is the best gelato I have ever had. The pistachio gelato (my favourite, and pictured with hazelnut) is made from Sicilian Bronte pistachios and is spatula'd out, not scooped - onto the cone or into your dish. I know this because as we ordered, the owner was teaching her new employee the technique of setting the gelato into the cone with the spatula. The gelato is smooth, light and silky. Like good gelato it melts quickly but is eaten just as fast!

Nishiki Market

The streets in Kyoto are magical. So too are the markets. Nishiki Ichiba is one such market. Known to locals as "Kyoto's Pantry", it hold true to its name. Narrow but lined with more than one hundred stalls and shops (most of which are food focused), Kyoto's Nishiki Market offers so much to wandering and hungry tourists. Running between Teramachi and Shinmachi, it is Kyoto's best and largest traditional food market. 

Wrapped up in a long passageway are the characteristic foods and delights of Kyoto which are locally sourced and produced. The atmosphere is busy but beautiful and the stalls even more so with the market filled with both tourists and locals walking through the traditional shotengai (shopping street). It is visited by thousands of people every day however remains neatly arranged, perfectly aligned and maintains a relaxing atmosphere, contrary to the common belief of noisy and chaotic market places. 

Good are arranged neatly, patterns of fabrics and fans scattered throughout. It's an authentic and enriching experience for senses. Some stalls sell takeaway foods like yakitori skewers or packets of rice and sashimi and there are a couple of sit down restaurants that can be found among the wagashiya-san stalls and the tofu and yuba shinise. You can't go past a lovely azuki bean and lotus cake, or of course the iconic Japanese mochi, hanami dango. Stop at a couple of wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) shops. Prices are a little more expensive than what you would pay for in the standard department supermarkets, but there is a definitive difference in taste, freshness and quality.

Wide eyes and an empty stomach are a prerequisite when walking through the market with many things to marvel, however don't touch the products or produce unless you're willing to pay for what you've touched. Many stall owners have a "you touch you buy" policy. Of course if there are store owners holding skewers of octopus or sweets, nudging you to have a free try, do take them up on their request because free food is good food and the food in Kyoto is amazing. Unlike other markets in Japan, it's acceptable to eat while walking through Nishiki markets. You'll be asked when you purchase if you wish to eat it now "Ima taberu", or save it for later. I suggest purchasing some as you eat and saving plenty for those late night hunger pangs.  

The best time to visit Nishiki is in the early morning (going early will beat the onset of crowds) or the late afternoon. Tourists tend to visit at lunch time and understandably so, but take this into account. Although we had visited the market about an hour before closing (not what we had intended) it was still fairly busy but just as beautiful. Not all of the stores were open and many were packing up after a long day that had begun before nine in the morning, but there was still plenty to see and eat. 

Strolling through the market we witnessed many owners packing up after a hard day's work, the fishmongers hosing down their stalls and those selling cakes urging people to purchase them for half the price as many cakes were to be eaten within the day. The takoyaki stall was still busy at work with a high demand of people seeking fresh octopus balls for an evening snack, so don't worry about missing out on at least having some food if you visit in the evening. 

Transport:
A short three minute walk from Shijo Station, take the Karasuma subway line. You could also take a walk from Kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu Line. You'll find Nishiki and it's colourful glass ceiling, one block north and parallel to Shijo Street and west of Teramachi street, located between Kyoto Station and the Imperial Palace.

Admission and opening times:
Nishiki Ichiba is open from 9am to 6pm every day except Wednesdays and Sundays. Admission is free.