The Tsukiji Market, supervised by the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale
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