Tsukiji Fish Market - Tuna by plane
Tsukiji market finds its origins in a market built by the first Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who also built Tokyo. The aim was to attract the best fishermen of the country to the new built city, and make them supply seafood to the castle. After that, it was severely destroyed by the Kanto earthquake in 1923 and was totally renewed and modernized. In this wholesale market, the fish is brought from all over the world, by containers or by planes:-)
Frozen tuna is brought through big containers.
Fresh tuna is the most expensive because it is generally transported by
planes to reach the market within 48 hours of its capture.
Bid for the best piece
There are only seven wholesalers, and all the fish
has to go through them. The fish is put into small groups and its fish has
its own number. Then, they group in one corner, and they start bidding on
each fish by itself. The bidders speak a language incomprehensible for
normal people -don't blame your Japanese if you go there- and they are
pretty quick: every bid is done in few seconds!
The bidders speak their own language
The quality control is particularly strict in this market. Every single fish
is examined by potential buyers.
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