"For years, Tsukiji Market, the world’s largest seafood market where bluefin the size of baby belugas sold for millions, seemed at odds with the popular tourist attraction it had become. Workers trying to move fish by the metric tonne often bristled at the sight of travelers gaping at the messy spectacle. The new Toyosu Market, on a man-made island, removes the friction by taking visitors out of the action and placing them in the hermetically sealed, glass-encased observation gallery. There’s still a certain thrill in witnessing it all, even from above. While it’s hard not to feel a twinge of nostalgia while roaming the sanitized reincarnation of Tsukiji, business at the market goes on. Plan your visit around an exceptional omakase breakfast at Sushi Dai or Ryu Sushi, followed by a relaxed walk-through. Be sure to leave time to snap a few photos of the Tokyo skyline from the rooftop garden on top of the Intermediate Wholesale Market Building. Instead of hunting for souvenirs at Uogashi Yokocho in the Intermediate Wholesale Market Building, head to the mainland and old Tsukiji Outer Market, which still has a tangle of historic shops and restaurants." - Diana Hubbell
