This was published 5 years ago
Tokyo's famed Tsukiji fish market holds last auction before move
Tokyo's famed Tsukiji market, the world's largest fishmarket and a major tourist attraction, held its final tuna auction on Saturday before a controversial move to a new site next week.
Hundreds of fishmongers are packing up and preparing to leave Tsukiji for a gleaming new $5 billion market set to open on Thursday on reclaimed land farther from central Tokyo.
The most expensive fish - a 162-kg tuna - sold for 4.3 million yen ($A54,000) at the early morning auction, Kyodo News said. Business at Tsukiji officially ended at noon.
Prospective buyers inspect the quality of a fresh tuna before the final auction at Tsukiji fish market.Credit: AP
"I am very grateful and happy that we could have continued business smoothly all these years until today. I would like to thank Tsukiji from the bottom of my heart," Hiroyasu Itoh, chairman of the seafood wholesalers' association, told reporters.
The 83-year-old Tsukiji market drew tens of thousands of visitors a year to its warren of stalls with exotic species of fish and fresh sushi. But it had become dilapidated and unsanitary, city officials said in planning the move to a new site in Toyosu, a man-made island in Tokyo Bay.
A survey taken by a group opposed to the relocation found that more than 80 per cent of Tsukiji fish traders were against the move to Toyosu.
An auctioneer calls out bids during the final tuna auction at Tsukiji Market.Credit: Bloomberg
Takeshi Ohashi, a 44-year-old former Tsukiji worker, went to the market with his wife to bid farewell.
"I am sad to see Tsukiji close but I do look forward to seeing what the land will be used for after this and how Tokyo will develop going forward," Ohashi said.
On a typical day, about 1,628 tonnes of seafood pass through Tsukiji, with a value of about 1.6 billion yen ($A20 million). The bustling inner-city market carries about 480 types of seafood and 270 types of other produce.
Visitors at the outer market at Tsukiji.Credit: Bloomberg
As Tokyo's iconic fish market enters a new chapter, here's a look back at it through the years.
The history of the Tsukiji area can be traced back to 1657, when the government reclaimed land along Tokyo Bay and named it "Tsukiji" - literally translated as "constructed land." In 1923 the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed much of central Tokyo, along with the the Nihonbashi fish market. In 1935 the market was relocated to its current site near Ginza, where it transformed the Tsukiji area into a bustling town.
The market is one of the top tourist destinations in Tokyo, attracting as many as 42,000 visitors a day. Here, a fish market worker can be seen dragging a cart carrying a bluefin tuna, in July 2014.
A group of turret trucks move over a bridge to new Toyosu market in Tokyo.Credit: AP
Each year the symbolic New Year auction often attracts media attention, as buyers battle to outbid each other. Bidders use hand signals to dictate their price, with the fish usually selling within seconds.
Kiyomura Corp., whose owner Kiyoshi Kimura runs the Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain, has frequently been the highest bidder. The most expensive tuna sold at the market went to Kiyomura in 2013 for 155.4 million yen ($A1.94 million).
Fish are checked for radiation levels at Tsukiji fish market in 1954, the year of the American "Castle Bravo" hydrogen bomb test near Bikini Atoll. The fishing boat Lucky Dragon No. 5 - along with its cargo and 23 crew members - suffered radiation exposure from the blast. The poisoning of the haul, dubbed the "A-bomb tuna," drove down prices of other fish in the market, prompting Tokyo's government to stamp approval on fish that passed radiation tests, according to a Mainichi newspaper report.
Men walk through the fish wholesale area at the new Toyosu Market.Credit: Bloomberg
Workers drive mini-forklifts outside Tsukiji. Employees zipping around on these little vehicles, known as "turret trucks," are a familiar market sight.
In August 2017, a fire broke out at Tsukiji, burning for 15 hours before it was extinguished, according to media reports. Safety concerns were cited as a key reason to push through the move to a new location.
Moving the market has proved no easy task. Tokyo Metropolitan Government first decided on the relocation to Tokyo Bay in 2001, but concerns over tainted soil at the new site and the cost of the move led to more than a decade and a half of delays.
In recent years, Tsukiji has featured in movies such as "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," the 2011 documentary about Jiro Ono, one of Tokyo's most notable sushi chefs.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government website, the cost of moving the market is estimated to be about 392.6 billion yen ($A4.89 billion). Governor Yuriko Koike has faced criticism over the price tag.
Not everyone is happy about the move to Toyosu. While some shop owners have decided to relocate to the new site, others have chosen to close down.
Tsukiji isn't just a place to buy fish. The outer market shops and vendors sell everything from dried foods to kitchenware. Visitors wander in search of soba and ramen noodle restaurants, and can satisfy a sweet tooth with Japanese confectionery.
While the wholesale market will move to Toyosu, the busy outer shopping area will remain in its current location. The rest of the site will be redeveloped into a transport hub in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Reuters/Bloomberg
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