A 612-pound tuna sold for a record $3 million at Tokyo's new fish market, but it's got nothing on the legendary one it replaced. I visited it before it closed.

Last week, restaurateur Kiyoshi Kimura paid a record-breaking $3.1 million for the first tuna sold in the new year at Tokyo's brand new Toyosu Fish Market, which opened last October.Toyosu replaced the legendary Tsukiji Fish Market, which was famous for decades as the best place in the world to get fresh fish.I took a walk through Tsukiji Market two years ago before it closed to see what it was like in action. It was a crazy place not meant for tourists.Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market was once known as the "Wall Street of fish."Every day, fishers, wholesalers, and the owners of Japan's top sushi restaurants used to gather to buy and sell more than $21 million of the freshest fish in the world.In recent decades, the market unexpectedly became one of Japan's top tourists attractions. Thousands came to try to get a glimpse of the market's world-famous tuna auction, where a single tuna once sold for $1.76 million.Last October, the Tokyo government moved the market from its original location in central Tokyo to a new $5.42 billion site east called Toyosu Market.The Toyosu Market has continued with the world-famous tuna auctions. Last week, Kiyoshi Kimura, who owns the Sushizanmai restaurant chain, paid $3.1 million for the first tuna sold in the new year, a 613-pound fish.Though Toyosu has improved refrigeration, earthquake resistance, and sanitation facilities, it isn't the legendary Tsukiji Market.I took a walk through before dawn at Tsukiji two years agowhen it was off-limits to touriststo see what the iconic market was like in action.Here's what it was like:SEE ALSO:The most iconic desert in the world is the Sahara. I drove for days, rode a camel for hours, and slept under the stars just to see it.DON'T MISS:I didn't think the $1 billion hotel considered 'the most luxurious in the world' could possibly live up to the hype. I was very wrong.The Tsukiji Fish Market was once located in the Tsukiji district in central Tokyo. It was bordered by the swanky shopping district Ginza and the Sumida River.Google Maps directions The best time to visit was before sunrise when fishers were bringing in their catch and fishmongers were preparing fish for sale.There were two parts to the market. The j'gai-shij' was a mix of sushi restaurants and shops that sell everything from wholesale restaurant supplies to groceries. The j'nai-shij' was where wholesalers processed their fish and sold to restaurants. There was also a wholesale produce market, which was the part I visited.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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