But by midnight, the huge market begins to come alive. Massive refrigerated trucks rumble. In about 12 hours, traders will have moved more than a million pounds of seafood. Everybody needs lots of caffeine to stay alert for hours to come, so everywhere, stall workers are brewing steaming kettles of green tea or pots of excellent coffee, which many Japanese enjoy. With auction time nearing, Tsukiji's aisles become more and more crowded.
People talk rapidly on cell phones, making deals, issuing orders.
The voices blur into a steady, even buzz, with the hum of ice-making machines as a constant backdrop. The air smells clean and a trifle salty, like the sea. The only smell of fish is a faint but pungent whiff of shaved bonito flakes, which some of the side stalls sell as seasoning. Once things get started, the biggest money will change hands in the market's five separate auction houses. The coveted bluefin, including some that were swimming off Saquatucket Harbor, Mass., only a few days before, are prominently displayed in the front rows.