Food Tours · Tour

Three Cuts of Bluefin, and the Shrine That Wards Off Waves

Two and a half hours in the Tsukiji outer market with six guests at most, and the list of what you eat is unusually specific for a tour at this price. Bluefin tuna sushi in three cuts, tasted in order: akami, the lean red meat from the back; chutoro, the medium-fatty belly; and otoro, the fattiest cut, which was thrown away as unsellable a century ago and is now the most expensive part of the fish. Putting the three side by side is the clearest lesson in Japanese food anyone can give you in five minutes. Then tamagoyaki, the rolled omelette built one thin layer at a time; sashimi that changes with the season, oyster, salmon, sea bream, sometimes pufferfish; traditional fish cake; a wagyu minced cutlet; conger eel; dashi, the kelp and bonito broth that underlies almost everything in the cuisine; and green tea. You walk the outer market and the Tsukiji Uogashi building, where chefs still buy, and stop at Namiyoke Shrine. Its name means warding off waves: it was built more than three hundred and fifty years ago when this land was reclaimed from the bay and kept washing away, and fishermen and traders still come to it. The tour ends in the outer market so you can shop afterwards. Guided in English, wheelchair accessible throughout, service animals welcome. Meet at the convenience store on Tsukiji 4-chome; the guide holds a board. Do not be late, since the group cannot wait. Food items vary with the season and with what the vendors have.