This morning I went to Tsukiji, the main fish market in Tokyo. It is to be moved onto a reclaimed island later this year and totally modernised, so I am glad that I saw it before the move. On the way to the market was a small shrine I knew about – it contains the ashes of 50 to 60 thousand people.

On the night of 9th March 1945 General Curtis LeMay, sent a fleet 339 of B29s to firebomb Tokyo. The first few planes started bombing from the fish market and went West. The next flight bombed from North to South. Everybody else just aimed at the burning cross. This was the first trial run for napalm and for cluster bombs. It was incredibly successful –the deadliest bombing raid in history.. Somewhere between 125,000 and 200,000 people died, a million were made homeless and more than 50% of Tokyo’s industry was totally destroyed. The raid was so successful they decided to leave a few towns unscathed so that the effects of a new weapon that was in development could be more easily measured. Hiroshima was on this particular list.

The fish market you ask? When I die if I find the Tsukiji fish market on one side and the Mercato Centrale on my other, I will know I’m in heaven. (If I find someone doing a stir fry like Myrl, and Rosewood’s Johnny Cassimatis deep frying my fish, I will know haven’t made it to the Pearly Gates). I did have sushi without standing in line for hours, I did see the tuna, but really I was happy to just, wander, and see, and hear and smell.

I can’t help but wonder what Ted would have made of it all?