It is a sad day for me my friends. My beloved Tsukiji Market will be closing its doors by the end of 2013. This is so sad for me because I have yet to have the chance to visit said market. Which you know, if you have been following me here, would be one of the happiest places on Earth for me.

The mayhem that ensues here is a wonder to behold. The sites, the sounds, the very fishy smell, all of which you would need to get up at 4am in the morning to start getting in line for. If you can make it there, and not get hit by one of the passing trucks, you will witness around 14,000 wholesalers selling around 3,000 tons of fish and other seafood...a day.

Tokyo and all of Japan love their seafood, which is why they are going to start building a new Tsukiji Market just down the way. This new 408,000 square meter facility will be about 40% bigger than the current market. It is actually to accommodate all of the tourists that now come to the market and to freshen it up a bit, since the market is over 78 years old.

When things like this happen I feel a mixture of happy and sad. I'm sad to see the market go from its traditional spot, but look forward to the new facility that could make the market so much better. If you want to know more about Tsukiji Market, I have posted a video after the jump of one of my favorite English language programs from NHK World talking about it.

[CNN Travel]