There are many types of fish used in the making of sushi. Some are more available than others and some are only restricted to certain parts of the world. These types include Ahi (aaa-hee), Aji (ah-jee), Akagai (ah-ka-gah-ee), Ama Ebi (ah-mah-eh-bee), Ankimo (ahn-kee-moh), Anko (ahn-koh), Aoyagi (ah-oh-yah-gee), Awabi (ah-wah-bee), Ayu (ah-yoo), Bonito (bo-nee-toh), Buri (boo-ree), Buri Toro (boo-ree toh-roh), Butaniku (boo-ta-nee-koo), Chikuwa (chee-koo-wah), Hikari-mono (hee-kah-ree-mo-no), Himo (hee-moh), Hokkigai (hohk-kee-gah-ee), Hotate-Gai (hoh-tah-teh-gah-ee), Ika (ee-kah), Inada (ee-nah-dah), Inari-Zushi (ee-nah-ree-zoo-shee), Kaibashira (kah-ee-bah-shee-rah), Kajiki (kah-jee-kee), Mirugai (mee-roo-ghai), Namako (nah-mah-koh), Neta (neh-tah), Odori ebi (oh-doh-ree-eh-bee), Ohyo (oh-hyoh) and many more.

Each type of this fish is served in a different way. The Ama Ebi, for example, is a kind of sweet shrimp that is served raw on nigirizushi as opposed to Ebi with is another form of shrip served cooked. The Chutoro, on the other hand, is the belly part of the tuna fish. There are various kinds of sushi, each served in a different way using different type of fish. Sushi types include nigirizushi, gunkanmaki, temarizushi, makizushi, Temakizushi, oshizushi, inari and sashimi. They are often complemented with marinated ginger or soy sauce.

The first fish tour should take your to Tsukiji market where there is a daily fish auction.  Fish here is auctioned at set times.  This used to be an open market where everybody could walk in and attend the auction but some travelers due to their bad behaviors made the market authorities think twice.  It is now divided into two sections.  The fish auction is done in the inner market and this is where any fish lover would be able to see any type of fish that you have longed to see or even dreamed about. The outside market is where you are able to virtually buy anything from cutlery to clothes.  The fish varieties here are varied and can be sliced and packed while you are waiting.

While around some of these fish market tour, be sure to wear warm clothing and the right foot gear.  There is nothing as embarrassing as leaving these places with your feet full of fish scales and smelling fish. Avoid this at all costs by wearing closed shoes and if possible get a pair of boots that are easy to clean and will keep your feet protected. Auction at the next market Tokyo Fish market is done by hand and through signals.  If you are unable to understand what is happening here, get a local who is able to translate and explain to you in detail what is happening at the fish markets.

Touring most of the sites can be done through tour agencies.  It is important to get reputable ones even though the Japanese are not known to be crafty but sound advice would be to identify recognised and reputable agents. Edo Tokyo Museum is one of places worth visiting.  It speaks volumes about the culture and tradition of the Japanese people going down back to 400 years with every guided detail and information given by the able guide around.  Touring and visiting Japan as a whole will forever remain in your mind.  It is a visit worth taking.

If you are opening a restaurant and want to have seafood to serve the customers then it would be better for you to buy seafood from Tsukiji fish market. This is because you will be able to purchase seafood at wholesale rate. This would bring you a huge profit if you regularly take supplies form this famous seafood marketplace. You should reach this seafood market before afternoon because it closes very early in the afternoon. Tsukiji Fish market is generating huge revenue as well which is a great sign in the economic development of Japan.

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Aburi Sushi

So, what is sushi? In the past , sushi was fish preserved in salt and fermented rice. The rice was usually discarded. The funazushi made near Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshū) has a strong distinctive taste and an even stronger smell, and closely resembles the traditional dish.

The creation of the contemporary dish we think of as sushi is generally credited to Hanaya Yohei (華屋 与兵衛 or 花屋 與兵衛; 1799–1858) at the end of the Edo period in Edo (what is modern day Tokyo). Hanaya’s sushi was an early form of fast food. To prevent the fish from spoiling Hanaya must have either slightly cooked or marinated the fish in soy sauce or vinegar. Originally known as Edomae zushi, because at the time it was caught in what is now Tokyo Bay. The fish now used in sushi rarely comes from Tokyo Bay,but it still carries the same name.

Nigiri Sushi

Sushi in the time of Hanaya was very different from what people have come to expect now. For example, the fatty belly meat of tuna was not popular because it would decompose very quickly. Nowadays this kind of sushi is one of the most popular and expensive cuts. The fish was served on vinegared rice balls that would be considered large by today’s standards.  Hanaya’s sushi was completely different than the raw fish style we have come to expect today.

Types of Sushi

Nigiri sushi (握り寿司, hand-formed sushi) consists of an oval-shaped ball of rice topped with a slice of another item.

Aburi sushi (炙り寿司, roasted sushi) consists of nigiri sushi with a fish topping that is partly grilled and partly raw

Gunkan-maki (軍艦巻, warship roll) is a type of sushi consisting of a rice ball wrapped in a sheet of nori which extends in a cylinder upward to hold a loose topping such as fish eggs

Maki sushi (巻き寿司, rolled sushi) consists of rice and other ingredients rolled together with a sheet of nori and there are four traditional types of maki:

• Chu maki (中巻き, medium roll) is a medium-sized rolled maki sushi usually containing several ingredients

• Futo maki (太巻き, large or fat roll) is a thick rolled maki sushi containing multiple ingredients

• Hoso maki (細巻き, thin roll) is thinly rolled maki sushi with only one ingredient

• Temaki (手巻き, hand roll) is a cone-shaped maki sushi