Getting the sashimi/sushi food trip fix at Tsukiji on a rainy morning.

I first heard (or read) about Tsukiji from a manga where the female leads drools for fatty tuna sashimi. Back then I didn’t have the slightest idea that I could travel to Japan someday and go to this place.

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Rain made the atmosphere a bit gloomy, and maybe the impending transfer of the market contributed to this vibe. When we visited, the inner market was on its last few days in Tsukiji. As of writing, it has already moved to Toyosu. But I heard that the restaurants in the outer market still have open shops in Tsukuji.

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After around 40 minutes of roaming around and picking a place to eat, we lined up at a chirashizushi /seafood donburi store. At first we were unaware of the store’s name since there was no English name posted. Then later I realized that I saw the store front online. It was one of the popular chirashi stores in the area – Nakaya.

Both locals and foreigners waited in line for around an hour and a half in the chilly, drizzly weather. I bet it really lives up to its reputation. Also, it was a bit more affordable than the other stores.

Once you are the next in line to enter the restaurant, a lady asks for your order and how many you are in the group.

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With a menu complete with photos and numbers, you could just point to what you like, or just say the number of your order. I could read the hiragana and katakana characters so I had an idea of what we were ordering. We ordered menu items 11 and 9.

Item 11: 1,500 Yen for a sashimi donburi of Uni (sea urchin) and Salmon

Item 9: 2,300 Yen for a sashimi donburi of Toro (Fatty tuna), Uni (sea urchin), and Ikura (salmon roe)

Inside the shop is a narrow corridor with a long bar and chairs that can fit around 15 people at a time.

Order #9: Uni and Salmon

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Sea urchin, salmon slices, topped of a bowl of Japanese rice for breakfast today.  Salmon sashimi is something I had a few times before. The one in this bowl was sliced thinly and tasted fresh. As for the sea urchin (uni), I had only eaten it once before and in small quantity. As you can see in this photo, there is no shortage of creamy buttery sea urchin to match with the rice. The texture might take a little getting used to since it doesn’t have a bite unlike fish sashimi or scallops. It’s just segments of good creamy uni. Probably because I’m not a heavy eater in the morning, I felt really full after eating.

I tried some salmon roe from Order #11, my dad’s order. You get that salty taste every piece of the salmon roe. Perfect to complement rice.

I don’t mind having this type of breakfast a few times a week.

This is part of Day 3 of Japan 2018. Read the full Day 3 post this weekend!