Tsukiji Market ( Tsukiji shij ) , supervised by Tokyo Metropolitan Wholesale Marketplace ( ????????? , T? ky? -to Ch ?? Oroshiuri Shij? ) from the Metropolitan Tokyo Industrial and Labor Bureau, is the largest fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets in any form.
The market is located in Tsukiji in central Tokyo, between the Sumida River and the upscale Ginza shopping district. Whilst the wholesale market in restricting access to visitors, the outdoor retail market, restaurants, and related restaurant fix shops remain a major tourist attraction for domestic and overseas visitors.
Video Tsukiji fish market
Location
Market is located near Tsukijishij? Station on Toei Line? Edo and Tsukiji Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line. There are two distinct parts of the market as a whole. The "in-market" ( j? Nai-shij? ) is a licensed wholesale market, where approximately 900 licensed wholesale dealers operate small stalls and where auctions and partial big fish processing takes place. The "outdoor market" ( j? Gai-shij? ) is a mix of wholesale and retail stores selling Japanese kitchen utensils, restaurant supplies, groceries, and seafood, and many restaurants, especially sushi restaurants. Most of the shops in the outdoor market close in the afternoon, and in the market in even earlier.
Maps Tsukiji fish market
Economy
The market handles over 400 types of seafood from cheap seaweed to the most expensive caviar, and from small sardines to 300 kg of tuna and the controversial species of whales. Overall, more than 700,000 metric tons of seafood is handled each year in three seafood markets in Tokyo, totaling more than 600 billion yen (about 5.9 billion dollars on November 24, 2013). The number of registered employees as of January 25, 2010 varies from 60,000 to 65,000, including wholesalers, accountants, auctions, corporate officers, and distributors.
Operation
The market is open almost every morning (except Sundays, holidays and Wednesdays) at 3:00 with the arrival of products by ships, trucks and aircraft from around the world. What is very impressive is the demolition of tons of frozen tuna. The auction house (wholesalers known in Japanese as oroshi gy? Sha ) then estimates the value and prepares the incoming product for the auction. Buyers (licensed to participate in the auction) also check the fish to tell which fish they want to bargain and at what price.
The auction starts around 5:20 am. Offer can only be done by a licensed participant. This bidder includes an intermediary trader ( nakaoroshi gy? Sha ) who operates a kiosk on the market and other licensed buyers who are agents for restaurants, food processing companies, and large retailers.
The auction usually ends around 10:00 am. After that, the purchased fish is loaded onto the truck to be sent to the next destination or to the small wagon and move to many stores within the market. There shop owners cut and prepare products for retail. In the case of large fish, for example tuna and swordfish, cutting and preparation are complicated. Frozen tuna and swordfish are often cut with large band saws, and fresh tuna carved with a very long knife (some more than a meter in length) is called oroshi-h? Ch ?, maguro-b? Ch? , or hanch? -h? ch? .
The market is the busiest between 05.30 and 08.00 am, and activity declines significantly thereafter. Many shops begin to close around 11:00 am, and the market closes to be cleaned around 1:00 pm. Tourists can visit the market every day between 5 am and 6:15 am and watch the event from a designated area, except during the period when it is closed to the public.
Due to the increase in tourists and related problems, the market bans all tourists from tuna auctions on several occasions, including from 15 December 2008 to 17 January 2009, 10 December 2009 to 23 January 2010, and 8 April 2010 to 10 May 2010. After the last ban which ended in May 2010, a tuna auction has been reopened to the public with a maximum limit of 120 visitors per day based on who first came, first served. Visitors entering the interior wholesale market are banned until after 11:00.. Due to the March 2011 earthquake all tourists are banned from seeing tuna auction until 26 July 2011, from the reopened date.
Inspectors from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government oversee activities in the market to enforce the Food Hygiene Law.
History
The first market in Tokyo was founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Edo period to provide food for the Edo castle (currently Tokyo). Tokugawa Ieyasu invites fishermen from Tsukuda, Osaka to Edo to provide fish for the castle. Fish not purchased by the castle are sold near the Nihonbashi bridge, in a market called uogashi (literally, "fish dock") which is one of many specialized wholesale markets lining the Edo canal (such as Tokyo known until the 1870s).
In August 1918, following the so-called "Rice Riot" ( Kome S? D? ), which broke out in over 100 cities and towns in protest against the food shortage and speculative practices of wholesalers, the Government of Japan forced to create new institutions for the distribution of foodstuffs, especially in urban areas. The Wholesale Market Law Center was established in March 1923.
The Great Kant? earthquake on September 1, 1923, destroyed much of downtown Tokyo, including the Nihonbashi fish market. After the earthquake, the market was moved to the Tsukiji district and, after the construction of a modern market facility was completed in 1935, the fish market began operating under the 1923 Central Wholesale Market Act. Three major markets in Tsukiji, Kanda and Koto began operations in 1935 Smaller branch markets were established in Ebara, Toshima, and Adachi, and elsewhere. Currently, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's wholesale market system includes more than a dozen major markets and branches, handling seafood, produce, meat, and cut flowers.
On 3rd August 2017, there were fires in several outbuildings.
Build
Following Great Kant 1923? architects and earthquake engineers from the Tokyo City Government Architecture Section were sent to Europe and America to conduct research for new markets. However, due to the size of the market and the quantity of traded goods they are forced to come up with their own unique designs. The quarter shape of the circle allows easier access and handling of freight trains and steel structures above allowing a large and continuous free space of columns and subdivisions.
Planning a relocation to Toyosu
Tsukiji Fish Market occupies a valuable real estate close to downtown. Former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara repeatedly called for a market move to Toyosu, Koto. The long anticipated move to new markets is scheduled for November 2016, in preparation for the Summer Olympics in 2020, but on 31 August 2016, the move was postponed. The new location has been criticized for being highly polluted and in need of cleaning. There are plans to maintain the retail market, roughly a quarter of current operations, in Tsukiji. The rest of the market area will be redeveloped. Worries are still about the security of the new site.
As of June 2017, plans to move the fish market resume, but are delayed in July until Autumn 2018.
In popular media
- Video game PlayStation 2 2005 Gran Turismo 4 shows the fish market as one of the Photo Mode locations in the game.
- The Tsukiji fish market is featured on the July 8, 2008 episode of the American reality show I Survived a Japanese Game Show . In the episode, the winning team (Yellow Penguin) received a prize of a VIP tour at the fish market.
- In December 9, 2008 Bizarre Foods' show with Andrew Zimmern, Tsukiji Market is featured primarily at Tuna Auctions, and local restaurants in the market.
- In the 2011 Jiro Dreams of Sushi documentary, the market is featured and discussed as it relates to Jiro Ono's living profession as a world-renowned sushi chef.
- The market is featured in a music video for the single "Rather Be" 2014 by the band UK Clean Bandit.
- The Japanese TV culture and lifestyle show Begin Japanology aired on NHK World featured a complete episode on the Tsukiji fish market in 2008.
- The Globe Trekker travel event displays the Tsukiji market during Ian Wright's travel trip to Tokyo. It shows fish auctions, then a quick tour through the surroundings and ends with Wright eating sushi in the nearby breakfast room.
Note
References
Bestor, Theodore C. (2004), Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the World Center , Berkeley: University of California Press, ISBNÃ, 0-520-22024-2
External links
- Official market site (in English)
- Market association homepage (in English)
- Guide to Tsukiji Market Tuna Auctions - English
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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