Market of the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs, is the

biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the

largest wholesale food markets of any kind.

The market is located in Tsukiji in central Tokyo, between the Sumida River

and the upmarket Ginza shopping district. While the inner wholesale

market has restricted access to visitors, the outer retail market,

restaurants and associated restaurant supply stores remain a major tourist

attraction for both domestic and overseas visitors.

Location The market is located near the

Tsukijishijō Station on the Toei Ōedo Line and Tsukiji Station on the Tokyo

Metro Hibiya Line. There are two distinct sections of the market as a

whole. The "inner market" is the licensed wholesale market, where

approximately 900 licensed wholesale dealers operate small stalls and where

the auctions and most of the processing of the fish take place. The "outer

market" is a mixture of wholesale and retail shops that sell Japanese kitchen

tools, restaurant supplies, groceries, and seafood, and many restaurants,

especially sushi restaurants. Most of the shops in the outer market close by

the early afternoon, and in the inner market even earlier.

Economics The market handles more than 400

different types of seafood from cheap seaweed to the most expensive caviar,

and from tiny sardines to 300 kg tuna and controversial whale species.

Overall, more than 700,000 metric tons of seafood are handled every year at the

three seafood markets in Tokyo, with a total value in excess of 600 billion

yen. The number of registered employees as of 25 January 2010 varies from 60,000

to 65,000, including wholesalers, accountants, auctioneers, company

officials, and distributors. Operations

The market opens most mornings at 3:00 a.m. with the arrival of the products by

ship, truck and plane from all over the world. Particularly impressive is the

unloading of tons of frozen tuna. The auction houses then estimate the value

and prepare the incoming products for the auctions. The buyers also inspect

the fish to estimate which fish they would like to bid for and at which

price. The auctions start around 5:20 a.m.

Bidding can only be done by licensed participants. These bidders include

intermediate wholesalers who operate stalls in the marketplace and other

licensed buyers who are agents for restaurants, food processing companies,

and large retailers. The auctions usually end around 7:00

a.m. Afterward, the purchased fish is either loaded onto trucks to be shipped

to the next destination or on small carts and moved to the many shops inside

the market. There the shop owners cut and prepare the products for retail. In

case of large fish, for example tuna and swordfish, cutting and preparation is

elaborate. Frozen tuna and swordfish are often cut with large band saws, and

fresh tuna is carved with extremely long knives called oroshi-hōchō,

maguro-bōchō, or hanchō-hōchō. The market is the busiest between 5:30

and 8:00 a.m., and the activity declines significantly afterward. Many shops

start to close around 11:00 a.m., and the market closes for cleaning around

1:00 p.m. Tourists may visit the market daily between 5 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. and

watch the proceedings from a designated area, except during periods when it is

closed to the public. Because of an increase in sightseers and

the associated problems they cause, the market had banned all tourists from the

tuna auctions on several occasions, including from 15 December 2008 through

17 January 2009, 10 December 2009 through 23 January 2010, and 8 April

2010 through 10 May 2010. After the latest ban that ended in May 2010, the

tuna auctions have been re-opened to the public with a maximum limit of 120

visitors per day on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitor entry into

the interior wholesale markets is prohibited until after 9 AM. Due to the

March 2011 earthquakes all tourists were banned from viewing the tuna auctions

till 26 July 2011, from which date it was reopened.

Inspectors from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government supervise activities in the

market to enforce the Food Hygiene Law. History

The first market in Tokyo was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu during

the Edo period to provide food for Edo castle. Tokugawa Ieyasu invited

fishermen from Tsukuda, Osaka to Edo to provide fish for the castle. Fish not

bought by the castle was sold near the Nihonbashi bridge, at a market called

uogashi which was one of many specialized wholesale markets that lined

the canals of Edo. In August 1918, following the so-called

"Rice Riots", which broke out in over 100 cities and towns in protest against

food shortages and the speculative practices of wholesalers, the Japanese

government was forced to create new institutions for the distribution of

foodstuffs, especially in urban areas. A Central Wholesale Market Law was

established in March 1923. The Great Kantō earthquake on September

1, 1923, devastated much of central Tokyo, including the Nihonbashi fish

market. In the aftermath of the earthquake, the market was relocated to

the Tsukiji district and, after the construction of a modern market facility

was completed in 1935, the fish market began operations under the provisions of

the 1923 Central Wholesale Market Law. Three major markets in Tsukiji, Kanda,

and Koto began operating in 1935. Smaller branch markets were established

in Ebara, Toshima, and Adachi, and elsewhere. At present, the Tokyo

Metropolitan Government's system of wholesale markets includes more than a

dozen major and branch markets, handling seafood, produce, meat, and cut flowers.

Building Following the 1923 Great Kantō

earthquake architects and engineers from the Architectural Section of Tokyo

Municipal Government were sent to Europe and America to do research for the new

market. However, because of the sheer size of the market and the number of

items traded they were forced to come up with their own unique design. The

quarter circular shape allowed easier access and handling for freight trains

and the steel structure above allowed a wide, continuous space free from columns

and subdivisions. Planned relocation to Toyosu

The Tsukiji fish market occupies valuable real estate close to the center

of the city. Former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara repeatedly called for

moving the market to Toyosu, Koto. The long-anticipated move to the new market

will take place in November 2016, in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Summer

Olympics. The new location has been criticized for being heavily polluted

and in need of cleanup. There are plans to retain a retail market, roughly a

quarter of the current operation, in Tsukiji. The remaining area of the

market will be redeveloped. In popular media

The Tsukiji fish market was on the July 8, 2008 episode of the American reality

show I Survived a Japanese Game Show. In the episode, the winning team received a

reward in the form of a VIP tour of the fish market.

In the 2011 documentary film Jiro Dreams of Sushi, the market is featured and

discussed as it relates to Jiro Ono's life profession as a world-renowned

sushi chef. The market is featured in the music

video for the 2014 single "Rather Be" by the British band Clean Bandit.

The Japanese culture and lifestyle television show Begin Japanology aired

on NHK World featured a full episode on Tsukiji fish market in 2008.

Notes References

Bestor, Theodore C., Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World,

Berkeley: University of California Press, ISBN 0-520-22024-2

" Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market Threatened By Globalization," Bloomberg News,

September 28, 2005. Documentary Film 'The Cost of Sushi;

Emptying the Seas' by director Pedro Barbadillo.

External links Official market homepage

Market association home page Guide to Tsukiji Market Tuna Auction -

English