Exciting and vivid! Tsukiji Market -Vol. 1
The largest wholesale markets in Japan- ‘Tsukiji Market’
Tsukiji Market （築地市場）is one of the municipally-run wholesale markets located in Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Although, it is just one of the 11 Central Wholesale Markets run by the Tokyometropolitan government, Tsukiji Market is the largest market in Japan. Actually, Ohta Market, another central market inTokyo, is bigger in size, but the amount of money in trading at Tsukiji is the largest among other central wholesale markets.
Tsukiji Market is also the oldest market among 11 central wholesale markets run by the Tokyometropolitan government. Its area of supply is not limited inTokyo but also includes other surrounding metropolitan areas. Especially in dealing amount of marine products, Tsukiji Market is the largest in the world, and plays an important part as a price setting market in Japan.
Outline of Tsukiji Market
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Tuna auction market |
Excluding a part of parking at 6-chome, its main facilities are located at 2-1, 5-chome, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. The total area of Tsukiji Market is about 230,836㎡. Daily auction market is held among 7 wholesalers and about 1,000 dealers.
Even decreasing in number, quantity of trading in 2009 was 871,000 tons (544,000 tons in the marine products market, and 327,000 in the vegetable and fruit market) and the amount of total trading is 51.9 billion yen (43.45 billion yen in the marine products market, and 8.45 billion yen in the vegetable and fruit market).
Lists of the items in dealing at the market are marine products (the largest in Japan), vegetable and fruit (the 2nd after Ohta Market), chicken meat and eggs, pickled vegetables, processed food such as ‘tofu’ bean curd and frozen food and others.
Fresh foodstuffs arrived from not only domestically but also from various countries around the world. About 480 items of marine products and about 270 items of vegetable and fruit are traded in the market. Its great variety of articles in the vegetable and fruit market, such as vegetables in cultivation of out-of-season, vegetables introduced to Japan from the West, and herbs, is well known. About 42,000 people and 19,000 vehicles come to the market daily and 24 hours continuous cycle of trading is performed.
A group of main building where auction markets and dealers’ shops existing is built in arc, because there had been railway freight depot ‘JR Tokyo Market Station’. JR lines had once been built along these buildings and freight trains with fresh seafood had frequently arrived.
However, transportation has been gradually shifted from freight trains to trucking in recent years, and now all facilities relating to trains have already discontinued. Although railway track was removed between the Seikamon gate and the old site of JR Shiodome Freight Station (now used as a sidewalk), an alarm device for railway crossing still remains.
Present conditions of location very close to Ginza, one of the most bustling streets in Japan, is rare case for central market.
＜Reference materials＞
http://www.shijou.metro.tokyo.jp/info/01.html
http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/
■For travelers from overseas
As a certified guide-interpreter in English and also a writer of the website “Cool Japan Guide”, I am very happy to introduce ‘Tsukiji Market’. If you have something to ask, like to make reservation, or need English speaking tour guide when visit toTokyo, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for your kind cooperation, I am looking forward to your contact.
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