• Tsukiji (Marine Products Tokyo Central Wholesale Market)....the largest fish market in the world with the tuna auctions starting before dawn. Visit the holding room where flash frozen tuna are inspected and graded by bidders. Known as "Tuna Hell" or "Tekka Jigoku." The hook prod is used to lift the sampling flap near the tail to access quality, fat content, texture. It's creepy and if you're a sushi fan...yummy.
• The dimly lit stalls, fishy smells, wet floors, and constant putter of the small propane driven delivery trucks add to the already surreal experiencewhile you're still in REM sleep. I've seen more fish varieties here than in McClane's Fish Encyclopedia. Just watch your back for those Daihachiguruma (Turret Trucks) which scurry around in all directions carrying the fish to and from the stalls and larger trucks.
• I bought my yanagiba (sashimi knife) at Tsukiji. It is VERY sharp. Slices fish like a laser beam.
• Shiodome - an area near Tsukiji and Ginza, near Tokyo Bay, famous for the modern buildings erected since 1995. Glass and interesting outdoor spaces.
• Hama Rikyu - once a garden of an Edo Period feudal lord's residence; has salt water ponds that take in the tide from Tokyo Bay; former duck hunting grounds with Shiodome skyscrapers in the background.