The Melon auction in Tokyo.
How to avoid a sleepless night.
Attending the tuna auction at Tsukiji market in Tokyo is one of the top ten experiences for the adventurer tourist. Every experienced tourist attends one of those, or at least tries to, when she or he gets to Tokyo.
Because it is not easy attend, trust me!
The tuna auction starts at 5:30 in the morning, but to be sure to get one of the 120 places reserved for tourists, you need to wake up at 3:00 AM, then get a taxi to Tsukiji market and stay in line for one hour until the places are distributed.
Finally if you are among the lucky 120, you still have to wait for one hour until the beginning of the auction, that lasts….25 minutes!
It is because all of this, that people who have attended the auction keep the memory as a medal for touristic bravery.
To avoid all this, and get all the sensations, you just need to go to another auction: the melons.
In Japan, the quest for perfection has gotten to another level, and with melons, perfection gets another meaning. Some of these melons can be sold for almost 100 euros…..each!
The auction takes place in Tsukiji market too, but at 9:15 AM, so no need to wake up at 3:00 AM.
Once you get there, be discreet and enjoy the arrival of the buyers.
During the auction, the seller uses big gestures and codified shouting to communicate with the auctioneers. Meanwhile the auctioneers use a codified set of finger signs to offer or to decline.
Once the auction is over, the fruits are identified with the buyers name and sent to the most exclusive stores in Tokyo.
For instance these fruits that I found in a very expensive mall in Shibuya.
To give you an idea of the price of these beauties, the melons on the first row below, are sold for 6480 ¥, 7560 ¥ and 8640 ¥, that is between 60 and 90 euros each!
Unforgettable experience guaranteed!
The auction takes place at the fruits and vegetables section of Tsukiji market. Look for the metallic rows of seats. You can easily recognize it because of the melons arranged in front of it for the auction and also because it is the only one like that in all the market. Except for the one used for the tuna auction…of course.