Sandwiched between Sumida River and the upmarket Ginza shopping district, in Tsukiji in central Tokyo, is a large wholesale market for fruits, vegetables, flowers and meat, but it’s fish and seafood for which Tsukiji is most famous for. Everyday about 2,000 metric tons of seafood passes through the market everyday. It is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind.

Tokyo’s earliest fish market, named Uogashi, was established on the bank of Nihonbashi River during the 16th century as a place to sell leftover fish that were not bought by the Edo Castle, the royal residence of the shogun. At that time, Tokyo was known by its former name Edo. As the city grew, so did Uogashi until it developed into a large-scale wholesale market.

Photo credit: Stewart Butterfield/Flickr