Tsukiji Fish Market - Tokyo
TSUKIJI FISH MARKET, TOKYO - Tsukiji is a fish market in the sense that the Mediterranean sea is a puddle or Pavarotti was a crooner. Among the wholesale fish markets of the world, Tsukiji ranks at the top in every measurable category. It handles more than 400 different types of seafood, from penny-per-piece sardines to golden brown dried sea slug caviar, a bargain at (Euro) €860 per Kilogram. It imports from 60 countries on six continents. Frozen assets, bluefin tuna worth top yen are readied for Tsukiji's morning auction. The market's clamorous labyrinth of stalls showcases all manner of seafood—from live sea eel to pickled octopus—and reflects the well-ordered confusion of Japanese society.
Cars, trucks, and turret trucks are used to transfer merchandise within the market. It is very important to stay out of their way. They wouldn't stop their run such as you block your friend when he's posting political nonsense on Facebook!
Just before the Tuna Auction started, I got a chance to met a Buyers, licensed to participate in the auctions. He uses to inspect the tuna fish with a special hook and a light lamp to estimate which fish they would like to bid for and at which price. The auctions start around 5:20 a.m, but if you really want to get in, you should arrive no later than 2:30am for the registration. The access is limited to hundred and twenty people. I arrived at 2:30am and I was lucky enough to be one step before a huge students group coming from different part of the world. 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. Vendors display the morning's catch at the market around 6 a.m. In the market you can see the fishermen cutting tuna fish with a maguro kiri bōchō, an extremely long, highly specialized knife used in Japan to fillet tuna and other large fish.
Also the fisherman cut frozen tuna with a band saw. It’s very important do not touch the food. The Tsukiji Market people pride themselves in providing fresh food to their customers. When fresh fruits, vegetables, and raw fish are handled by visitors, the merchandise lose their freshness. Personally I found people in the market nice, friendly and polite. When someone helped me I've used to say 'Thank you' - 'Arigatou gozaimasu'. Gozaimasu is used to make some phrases polite as my Japanese friend taught me. I’m happy to share this experience with you and some other friends I’ve met there. ©Andrea Annessi Mecci TO BUY SIGNED & CERTIFICATED PICTURES PLEASE VISIT MY FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP HERE
