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Fish is an inseparable constituent of Japanese culture and
way of life. The contemporary Japanese, as well as their predecessors
hundreds years ago, like fish and seafood very much. The daily
ration of average statistical Japanese certainly includes
a fish dish.
The best place to buy fresh seafood in Tokyo is a famous Tsukiji
Central Wholesale Market. It is the largest wholesale market
for fish, fruit and vegetables in Japan. The market is considered
to be among the biggest in the world according to its territory,
commodity circulation and number of transactions. The Tsukiji
Market handles about 660,000 tons of marine products every
year, daily it receives hundreds kinds of fish and seafood,
total weight is 2,000 tons. Above all, the market handles
over 87% of the total amount of wholesale seafood trade in
the country. Here you can find all possible kinds of fish,
clams and seaweeds.
The history of the fish market dates back to the 16th century.
Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the shogun dynasty Tokugawa,
built a castle in the place called Edo (now Tokyo). He invited
fishermen from different parts of the country and gave them
a privilege for fishing in order to let them supply seafood
to Edo Castle. The fishermen sold the remains of fish near
the Nihonbashi Bridge. Thus the first market Uogashi was established.
During the centuries the market was growing and developing.
In 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake leveled the majority of
the buildings and about 20 private markets in Tokyo. Tokyo
municipal government decided to construct a central wholesale
market. As a result, the three markets of Tsukiji, Kanda and
Koto were founded.
The market wakes up late at night, when tons of seafood from
different parts of the world are brought here. About 11:00
p.m. the unloading of the numerous trucks, burdened with fish,
start. At 3:00 a.m. before daybreak, wholesalers lay out the
goods in preparation for the start of the auction. The jobbers,
carrying the lanterns, go round the market and carefully examine
the quality of the goods. At 5:30 a.m. the auction starts.
To orient oneself in the hustle and hubbub one should be a
real professional. The deals are arranged within few seconds.
There is a strict rule in the market that all the goods should
be sold in a day. Around 7:00 a.m. about 40,000 retail customers
come to the market to replenish supplies of their supermarkets,
fish stores and exclusive restaurants. At 1:00 p.m., at the
peak of activity in the metropolis, the market calms down.
The market is cleaned out and gets ready for the next transactions.
The Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market has already become one
of the main tourist attractions in Tokyo. Daily hundreds of
tourists, who want to plunge into the atmosphere of oriental
bazaar, come there. You'll certainly be impressed by the number
of various and unbelievably sized fish and aquatic crustaceans.
It is better to come to the market between 5:00 and 8:00 am,
when the auction takes place.
On the territory of the market there are some good restaurants,
where the visitors will be offered fish dishes, cooked according
to the traditional recipes, and sushi. The Japanese simply
adore raw or half-cooked seafood, the normal European usually
just horrified by. But these delicacies are really worth tasting.
Most of the restaurants open around five in the morning and
close at noon.
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