Enough about food, let's talk about the infamous Tsukiji FISH (!!) market :P
Those of you from Sydney, you might think that the sashimi from the Sydney Fish Market is great. Yes, it is good, but the fish at Tsukiji is even better!
Look at this giant tuna! It is about 5 times my weight!
A bit of background, Tsujiki market (築地市場) contains the largest wholesale fish market in the world. It also has one of the biggest wholesale food markets. Its name "Tsukiji" (築地), literally means "built land", was the product of a 18th Century landfill project. The market itself is located in central Tokyo and it supplies 90 percent of all fish consumed in the greater Tokyo area. There are a number of refrigeration rooms in the market and these rooms can hold enough fish to supply Tokyo for up to ten days! The market is also an important component of the economical and social fabric. Some forecasters even treat Tsukiji as an informal barometer for economic trends and consumer confidence (rather like Wall Street's hemline indices).
It is a major attraction on our must-do list (which read "must try the best sashimi"). Oops, this post is not directly about eating!
Although Tsujiki market is on every guide book that we came across, we came to know the market from a different source:
A few year ago, when SP and I was the regular customers of a particular fishmonger at the Sydney Fish Market, we befriended the 'sashimi guy'. One day, the 'sashimi guy' offered us a very special tray of tuna sashimi. It was from a blue-fin tuna and it was originally designated to go to Japan. Due to some unknown reasons, this particular fish didn't make it to Japan, and it was made available in the Sydney Fish Market. The 'sashimi guy' was nice enough to save us a piece and he charged us the price for standard yellow-fin tuna! At that time, we were told that the best fish, including all blue-fin tunas, are sent to Japan because they are willing to pay top prices. Naturally, the Tsukiji Fish Market attracts the best fish from around the world. Being a sashimi-addict, it is IMPORTANT that I visit the market! :)
We deliberately chose a hotel close to the market so that we can wake up in time and catch the infamous early-morning tuna auction. The first morning in Tokyo, we dragged ourselves out of bed and head towards the market. It was quiet in the streets but as we approached the market, we can hear lots of noise. The buildings themselves are pretty run-down and outdated. The buildings are no where near Sydney Fish Market's. There were rows of stalls in the inner buildings, which is similar to the layout of a traditional street market, only that there are approx. 1,700 stalls in this giant market. Workers were driving around these motorised carts in the narrow lane ways and we were almost run over in a few instances!
When we have finally arrived at the venue for one of the tuna auctions, we found ourselves to be one of the first visitors there! It was essentially a giant fridge with lots and lots of tuna fish (and humans too!) in it. 
The fish were being prep for the auction.
People are still preparing for the auction. All the fish are lined up and ready to be inspected by the potential buyers. The tails of the tuna have been lopped off so that the prospective buyers can examine the flesh. 
The workers looping off the tail of the tuna. Look at that blade!
The fish are numbered using red paint.
Some people would take bits of the meat in their hands and rub it to feel the texture and the amount of oil on the flesh. Their experience will tell them whether the fish will worth 40,000 yen/kg or 4,000 yen/kg.
A potential buyer inspecting the fish.
After about 45 minutes of inspection, the auction begins. The auctioneer would start chanting/"rapping" loudly to create an atmosphere to encourage offers. To participate in the auctions, a buyer would need a license from the Tokyo metropolitan government. The license is displayed as a small plastic plate attached to a baseball cap. Without the license on the cap, one cannot bid in any of the auctions.
The buyers make their offers using secret hand signals. The auctioneer recognises the offer through the context of the bid. It is interesting to note that the buyers would try to keep their signal as discreet as possible, so that others can't tell how excited they are for each fish. 
An auction in progress.
One particular fish that we saw was sold for ¥6,000,000 (approx £25,000; US$50,000; AUD$45,000), enough to buy a very good Japanese car locally!
After the auction, the buyer's name is painted on the fish so that there are no confusion.
This fish is then wheeled away.
The quality of the fish is confirmed when they are chopped up for sale. The people in the shop had very straight faces and they were very serious about their purchase.
Some of the fish is sold in the market. Though I don't think that's the best part of the fish.
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