Japanese Food Bites: Indulging in the Taste of Summer

Hi! It Shukri again. At the crack of dawn, I set off for another day of adventuring in Japan. Well, it wasn’t exactly the crack of dawn, but it felt like it. We were meeting earlier than usual, at 7:15 a.m. to be exact, to visit the Tsukiji Market before the rush hour. I felt exhausted and tired, but the adventure never stops.

For some reason, I had the impression that this market would be indoors, but to my surprise, it wasn’t a small market with tiny stalls, it was a huge one that stretched for blocks.

The excitement started to build up as I saw food vendors, shops, and restaurants lining the streets. The familiar sounds of the market, ones I’ve come to recognize and even grow to love during my visit here, filled the air.

Once the heart of Tokyo’s seafood trade, Tsukiji Market opened in 1935 after the Great Kanto Earthquake forced the city to relocate its fish market. For decades, it was famous for its early-morning tuna auctions and vibrant food stalls. In 2018, the inner wholesale market moved to Toyosu, but Tsukiji’s outer market remains a lively hub for street food, fresh seafood, and tradition.

As I explored, I realized this place had everything you could imagine, trinkets, souvenirs, decorations, clothes, and all types of food. One particular store caught my eye; or rather, the light from its lanterns did. Throughout this trip, I had been on a mission to find a lantern to bring back home.

When I walked into the shop, the shopkeeper greeted me and got straight to business. “You want lantern?” he asked. “Ramen,” he said, pointing to one. “This one for restaurant,” he added. I told him I wanted one for myself. He went to the back and returned with a smaller, round one. “What does it say?” I asked, puzzled. “Festival,” he grinned. I loved it. I was already imagining where I’d place it at home. I walked out of the store happy and fulfilled, it felt like I could finally take a piece of Japan back with me.

Image by: Caroline

As I walked down the street, one thing that caught my attention was the ice cream. I had really grown to like Japanese ice cream. As I looked through all the different flavors, puzzled faces mirroring mine stared back at me. Summer and Brianna looked just as confused.“Fish-flavored ice cream,” Summer said. She told me she’d seen a lot of strange ice cream flavors, but this one was by far the most interesting. She decided on black sesame, which I thought tasted like fresh goat milk, but not everyone seemed to agree.

I returned to the hotel with a full belly from all the snacks, hands full of pottery to add to my ever-growing collection, flavored nuts for my mom, and the infamous lantern I had been hunting for. I went back happy and fulfilled.

Image by: Caroline