Japan Travel: Tsukiji Fish Market, Cooking Class, Omoide Yokocho

Hi, guys! I’m craving Japanese food, so let me take you to Tsukiji Fish Market, a sushi-making cooking class, and the famous (and overrated) Omoide Yokocho in Japan 😊 🏯 ✨

I shared some blog posts about Japan before, but I still have some wonderful memories that I haven’t written.

Despite my limited budget, Japan is the only country I don’t mind traveling to more than once, even visiting the same cities or attractions, because:

It’s not too far from Malaysia = affordable flight tickets
The Japanese yen is currently low
The food, scenery, attractions, and skin care products are excellent
The people are very friendly, patient, and helpful
Clean air and a safe environment

Alright, when writing this blog post, it’s almost 1pm now. Let’s explore the first stop of our Japan travel: Tsukiji Fish Market! 🐟 🐡 🐠

Sampling Fresh Seafood in Tsukiji Fish Market, Japan

asian girl smilling holding fish skewer tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara — *Fresh, grilled tuna! Oishii*~

At first, I found visiting a fish market as part of the itinerary was weird (I joined a group tour with One Life Adventures).

What to see in a smelly and wet fish market? What made it worth it to be included in the Japan travel itinerary?

But it turned out that Tsukiji Fish Market was very different than the fish markets I had in mind! The road was dry, no fishy foul smell, and the stalls were lined up in order.

giant fish banner tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara

crowd in front of tsujiki fish market japan a girl named clara

crowd in tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara

various fresh seafood dishes tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara

We arrived at Tsukiji Fish Market around 10 am, but it was already crowded. This fish market is popular among locals and travelers, so come early to avoid the long queue!

You can order fresh tuna, salmon, oysters, etc and they will be grilled right in front of you. The portions are small, so you can sample many things.

fresh thorny crab tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara

fresh grilled fish stall tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara

man grilling fish tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara

hand grilling fish with fire tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara — *Fresh and thick tuna skewers…*

grilled tuna tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara — *…served with soy sauce and chilli flakes!*

Since it’s a fish market, there aren’t many tables and chairs for you to sit down. Many people enjoyed their fresh seafood while standing or sitting at the roadside.

people eating seafood at tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara (1)

people sitting on the roadside eating tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara

old man eating seafood with chopsticks tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara — *Fish for breakfast? Yes, please!*

woman eating fresh crab tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara — *I want to eat crabs for breakfast*

couple smiling eating dried cuttlefish tsukiji fish market japan a girl named clara — *Dried cuttlefish, anyone?*

We had around 1.5 hours of free time exploring Tsukiji Fish Market before our sushi-making cooking class. So, my sister and I didn’t eat much to leave some space in our stomachs 😊

Also read: “Blue Fire Kawah Ijen Hiking Tips, Banyuwangi”
Also read: “Banyuwangi City Tour: Architecture, Omah Osing & Gandrung Dance Performance”

Sushi-Making Cooking Class in Japan with One Life Adventures

one life adventures sushi making class japan a girl named clara

At around 12pm, we gathered in the cooking studio for the sushi-making cooking class. On that day, we didn’t only learn how to roll sushi, but also different kinds of miso soups.

In our group tour, we had someone whose profession was a cook in a restaurant. When the Japanese chef asked a volunteer to craft the miso soup that would be served for everyone, we asked Ruben to do it.

Ruben is from Eindhoven, The Netherlands. He loves cooking and eating, so he was more than happy when we entrusted him to craft the miso soup.

travelers ready for cooking class japan one life adventures a girl named clara — *First, we put on the apron…*

frying pans ready for cooking class japan a girl named clara

sushi roller and board sushi making class japan a girl named clara — *We use these to roll the sushi. The water keeps our fingers non-sticky*

japanese chef boiling seaweed cooking class a girl named clara — *The chef is boiling the seaweed*

assistant and chef japan cooking class a girl named clara — *The assistant chef helps to translate into English*

woman chef showing three types of miso paste japan cooking class a girl named clara — *Three types of miso paste*

Miso soup is made of dashi (Japanese soup stock) and miso paste (fermented soybean paste). When you order a donburi or set meal, it usually comes with miso soup.

There are different types of miso paste, but the main three are:

White miso (shiro): mildest and sweetest
Yellow miso (shinshu): less sweet, saltier, more earthy flavour
Red miso (aka): most-aged miso, rich and savoury taste, high soybean content

First, all of us learned how to roll sushi. We were advised not to waste food, so it was up to us to decide the size of the sushi we made.

Since we would make quite number of sushi + cook salmon teriyaki, I purposely made my sushi small. However, since I didn’t use much rice, my sushi shape wasn’t that good 😄 🍣 👩‍🍳

woman fanning cooling the sushi rice cooking class japan a girl named clara — *Darshika is fanning the sushi rice so it cools down faster*

ingredients for sushi making class japan a girl named clara

sushi making class japan one life adventures a girl named clara

japanese chef grilling sushi with fire cooking class a girl named clara

While grilling the salmon and tofu, we trusted Ruben to mix the miso pastes and prepare the miso soup for our lunch.

The salmon teriyaki was very delicious! It wasn’t my first time eating salmon teriyaki, but I don’t know why the salmon and the teriyaki sauce tasted so good 😍 😍 😍

For our vegetarian couple friends, they had delicious teriyaki tofu instead of salmon. We tried a little bit, it was really nice! Aaah, Japanese food is truly ✨ ✨ ✨

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fresh salmon on iced tray japan cooking class a girl named clara

salmon teriyaki japan cooking class a girl named clara — *Salmon teriyaki*

vegetarian tofu teriyaki japan cooking class a girl named clara — *Tofu teriyaki*

ebiko and three types miso paste cooking class japan a girl named clara

white man cooks with chef cooking class japan a girl named clara — *Ruben is crafting our miso soup*

man tasting homemade miso soup cooking class japan a girl named clara — *Hmm… what should I add?*

miso soup boiling TV view cooking class japan a girl named clara — *The miso soup is almost done!*

grilled salmon teriyaki cooking class japan a girl named clara — *Our beautiful salmon teriyaki*

homemade miso soup cooking class japan a girl named clara — *The savoury and thick miso soup*

The taste? Oishii~ Delicious~ 😊 😊 😊 Thank you, Ruben and everyone!

After a satisfying seafood lunch, I felt like having dessert. Luckily, not far from Tsukiji Fish Market, there were some snack stalls that sold takoyaki, matcha ice cream, and grilled mochi! 😋 🍡 🍦

people sit down eating takoyaki gindaco japan a girl named clara

woman server adding ketchup on takoyaki japan a girl named clara — *Takoyaki… I want to eat it, but I’m too full!*

asian woman smilling holding grilled mochi and matcha ice cream japan a girl named clara — *We can’t resist the temptation! Matcha ice cream is sooo good* 🥰

asian girl with hat walking in tsukiji fish market morning a girl named clara

asian girl orange winter jacket pose in front of sakura hotel tokyo a girl named clara — *Our budget hotel in Tokyo, Sakura Hotel*

Afterward, we had some free time to explore Tokyo before meeting up at the hotel in the afternoon for a Shinjuku evening walking tour, visiting Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane), and karaoke.

Also read: “Mount Fuji, Japanese Snacks, and Guesthouse Gaku Hakone”
Also read: “Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Okonomimura, and MAC Bar”

Omoide Yokocho Japan – Yay or Nay?

woman traveler drinks in izakaya omoide yokocho japan a girl named clara

Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane) is a beautiful, nostalgic alley full of traditional izakayas (Japanese bars) that sell street food.

You can find grilled chicken, beef, pork, or seafood skewers here, as well as fried food, beers, etc.

Since the alley is narrow, naturally, the izakayas are also tiny. You might wait for a long time before getting a seat. Oh, please be careful not to bump others when taking a seat!

If you travel with a big group, most probably you need to split into small groups and eat in different izakayas.

people walking on street full of bars shinjuku a girl named clara

japanese people sitting with pokemon mural shinjuku a girl named clara

traveler couple happy posing in the middle of the street shinjuku a girl named clara — *Jerome and Franzi (they’re married a few years later)*

man taking photo of omoide yokocho entrance a girl named clara

We had free time to get our own dinner before the Shinjuku walking tour. Most of us decided to explore Omoide Yokocho and had dinner there for the sake of experience.

So, should you have dinner in Omoide Yokocho? If you ask me, I feel it’s a tourist trap.

Yes, it’s beautiful with a great bustling atmosphere. Yes, it’s Instagrammable.

However, I feel the long waiting time, cramped spaces, and average taste don’t justify the price.

people walking during autumn in omoide yokocho japan a girl named clara

tourists in alley omoide yokocho japan a girl named clara

asian girl in orange puffy jacket autumn in omoide yokocho a girl named clara

travelers eating in small bar omoide yokocho japan a girl named clara

skweres on grill omoide yokocho japan a girl named clara

skewer menu in izakaya omoide yokocho japan a girl named clara

drink menu izakaya omoide yokocho japan a girl named clara

grilled skewers on plate omoide yokocho japan a girl named clara

With the price of 4 small chicken skewers + tea + sitting fee (YES, there’s an extra charge for sitting there), I could sit comfortably in a nice restaurant and order a set meal.

I was still a bit hungry after the dinner 😒 😒 😒

So, if you’re curious about Omoide Yokocho, go there and snap some photos, but eat elsewhere.

Next, we explored Shinjuku for a bit and had a great karaoke time. I laughed so hard looking at Ruben, Franzi, and Jeroen dancing.