January 9th, 2006 | The lowdown by Dickson Wong

Something's Fishy - Tsukiji Fish Market.

Wondering what’s open at 5 in the morning besides Yoshinoya and the conbini after a night of karaoke bars and incessant inebriation? Stumble over to the Tsukiji Fish Market at Tsukiji station on the Hibiya line and indulge in some of Tokyo’s freshest and most heavenly sushi – yes, I mean it!

This marine life slaughterhouse dives into motion everyday at around 5 a.m. until a little after noon, preparing and packaging fresh seafood and fish for restaurants all over Tokyo.

The sight of 10 foot tunas flopped sideways waiting their turn at the knife along with buckets of oysters, red snappers, octopi, lobsters and abalones renders me speechless-though that could also be from the woozy stomach. But it’s a whole different sensation once you hit the sushi restaurant lines. Your taste buds might just be tingling with longing for some soft succulent sushi that melts into a flurry of flavors in your mouth. Some restaurants serve nothing but the best like toro and uni, but you can expect to find fresh sashimi that is tender and divine anywhere in the market.

So this could be an extravagance compared to your morning coffee, but prices are generally affordable and it’s worth every yen. But don’t say I didn’t warn you: the lines are long, so the earlier the better.

The downer: The market is closed on random unannounced days. So if you happen to trek over there on one of those unfortunate days at said ungodly hours, well, there’s still your friendly neighbor the conbini.