Sushi Central

There was no way two sushi lovers, while vacationing in Tokyo, weren't going to visit the locus of raw fish. While visiting friends and touring Japan, Alex and I made sure to visit the Tsukiji market, where fishermen auction off tuna and every other edible, or not so edible, fish that swims off the coast of Japan.

The market has become a draw for tourists, who must line up at 4 a.m. if they want to witness the auction. But we weren't interested in the selling of fish. We were looking to eat it. We found our way to the market one morning around 11, after all the fish had been sold, the floors hosed down, and the stalls closed up.

In one corner of the market stand a few hole-in-the-wall restaurants, which open early in the morning to serve sushi breakfasts and lunch. By virtue of their location, they serve the freshest fish in Tokyo. We waited outside one of the restaurants, in front of a sign that featured photographs of sushi selections labeled "A" through "G."

When space became available at the counter, we were handed a menu with the same photographs. We pointed to our choices and thus commenced the best meal of the trip: buttery salmon, silky tuna, metallic sea urchin, oily mackerel, smoky eel — all served at room temperature to bring out the most flavor. It was definitely worth getting lost on Tokyo's train system, and almost worth the 11-hour flight.