Annabel this one is for you: a testament to what a devoted and loving friend I am, I have been on a Food Fiend mission, and emerged, if not victorious, then certainly more experienced than when I woke before 6 this morning.

Delicate stomachs may need to look away for this entry, as once again Japan gave me the perfect excuse to push my adventurous eating boundaries to the extreme: with an early morning visit to Tsujiki Fish Market.

Stepping bleary-eyed off the tube, the smell of fish hits you instantly, and you just need to follow your nose to the madness and mayhem that is the market.Still slightly dopey from a late night of travel plans, this was the ultimate wake-up call, as I certainly needed to keep my wits about me to navigate the crazy to-ing and fro-ing of the busiest fish market in Japan.It took me some while to dodge the mini-loading carts zipping haphazardly around, steered by fishermen with white towels wrapped around their heads and large wellies on, and to brave the road crossings necessary to get me into the heart of the market itself.

I wandered along gawping at the thousands of fish, shellfish and, erm, fish innards that were on display, side-stepping great big dripping fishy packages, and being sent flying by market stall owners hawking their wares.Other fishmongers wielded whopping great lethal looking knives, and with one swipe sliced cleanly through tuna bigger than a small person, sluicing water through the now empty caverns of the fishes` bellies, ridding them of various innards (more fountains of fishiness which I skipped past).The market flew by at such a fast clip, that by the time I had explored as many of the different stall wares as I could, unveiling fish/shellfish I had never even dreamed could have existed, I was quite fully awake!

I confess though, that my stomach churned slightly at the thought of eating sushi earlier than 7am in the morning, especially as it would be my first food for over 36 hours…I joined one of the queues snaking out of the sushi shop, as recommended, as popularity demonstrates decent wares.I stood behind two German guys, one of whom spoke pretty decent Japanese, and expressed my slight reticence at subjecting my poor tum to raw fish so early in the morning.But, you only live (/eat the freshest sushi at 7am) once, right?!So I let myself be whipped into the tiny sushi bar, and perched on a stool at the corner, in between a gaggle of three burly fishermen, and two Japanese tourists.`Set menu?`….er, hai, dozo, (yes please) though had I wanted a choice, Lord alone knows how I would have ordered it.So set menu it was!

The most expensive meal I`ve eaten yet in Japan, for \3,500 (about £17.50), I got a seemingly never-ending stream of sushi delivered to my rectangular wooden plate.When the first piece (tuna) arrived at my plate, I`m afraid to say I felt overwhelmingly nauseous and nearly walked out…but nevertheless, I continued, not wishing to disappoint my avid Food Fiend follower Annabel Lewis.I just couldn`t let the side down.So, shutting my eyes slightly, down the hatch the tuna went.And I have to say, my bravery was rewarded. It was delicious - melt in the mouth.

As the pieces were delivered by my sushi chef as and when he finished making them, I quite lost track of what and how many I ate, but I was soon to meet my food nemesis. Uni - the Sea Urchin.

I delicately tried a chopsticks-worth.Taste-wise it is not so different from other fish.But texture-wise, I`m afraid to say I found it completely nauseating.It is the softest and most delicate `flesh` you can possibly imagine, which melts into your mouth (not, I hasten to add, in a good way), and leaves it coated with a clinging, sticky slime.Detailed enough for you?

The young fishermen were pleased to be the recipients of my unwanted Sea Urchin.A present I was only too happy to bestow.Well, that and the cuttlefish…

That unpleasantness aside, the tuna, prawn, eel and omelette nigiris went down a treat, and as for the rest…I`ve no idea what I was fed, but the market and fresh sushi is undoubtedly up there on my list of must-have Tokyo experiences.And in spite of a slightly over-sushi-ed tum, I feel well set up to tackle the rest of the day!And it`s only 9am