Tsukiji Fish Market

Tsukiji Fish Market - one of the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market, although here you can find any other product. Then buy goods as wholesalers and fish restaurants in the Japanese capital and ordinary buyers. The market is located in central Tokyo and is one of the main attractions for foreign tourists. On the day here sold about 2,888 tons of goods (more than 450 species of fish and seafood) in excess of 2.8 billion yen.

1 worker checks the quality of the fish for sale. (Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

Tokyo urban wholesale market, better known as Tsukiji Fish Market is located next to the station and the Tsukiji subway Tsukidzisidzё Tokyo.

2 frozen tuna in anticipation of buyers during the auction before the New Year. (Photo: Koichi Kamoshida / Getty Images)

The market consists of two separate sections. The so-called "internal market" (Jap. 場内市場 jo: nai Shijo :?) is a licensed wholesale market, where trades are conducted and fish processing takes place, and where the trays are about 900 licensed vendors. On the "outer market" (Jap. 場外市場 jo: gai Shijo :?) can be found both wholesale and retail shops that sell Japanese kitchen utensils ready restaurant products, food products, and seafood.

3 The quality of fish products sold during the auction goes through several stages of verification. (Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

There is also a large number of restaurants, particularly specializing in the production of the land. Most of the shops in the foreign market closes before noon, and in the domestic even earlier.

4 Frozen fish were thawed before the auction. (Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

In the market you can find more than 400 different types of seafood, from small sardines to 300-kilogram tuna, from cheap seaweed to expensive caviar.

5 One of the wholesalers exports out of the store bought items at the auction. (Photo: Koichi Kamoshida / Getty Images)

About 700 thousand. Metric tons of seafood pass through the shelves of three fish markets in Tokyo, which in monetary terms is 600 billion yen (about 5.5 billion dollars). Directly through the Tsukiji fish market is held over 2 thousand. Metric tons of seafood per day.

6 Wholesaler checks the quality of evisceration of carcasses of tuna. (Photo: Koichi Kamoshida / Getty Images)

The number of registered employees varies between 60 to 65 thousand. Persons, which include wholesalers, accountants, auctioneers, company representatives and distributors.

7 Employee market exports frozen carcass tuna stock. (Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

Tsukiji Market is open almost every morning, except Sundays, holidays and the rare days with a break at the reception of the goods, which begins at 3:00 in the morning. The most impressive thing is unloading frozen tuna.

8 Worker market driven trolley with the packed seafood past piles of packaging material. (Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

After unloading, the auction houses (wholesalers in Japanese called 卸売業者 orosiuri gyo: Smiling) assess the value and prepare the incoming items to the auction. Buyers (only those who have a license to participate) also evaluated the party fish in order to know for what they will fight to the highest bidder and what price are willing to pay.

9 Employee market carcass cuts of tuna into smaller portions. (Photo: Koichi Kamoshida / Getty Images)

Bidding starts at around 5:00 in the morning. As the number of buyers could include mediation Wholesalers (仲卸業者 nakaorosi gyo: Smiling), that is, those who sell goods in the same market, as well as buyers of commodities for restaurants, food companies, and large retailers.

10 Cutting the fish carcasses. (Photo: Koichi Kamoshida / Getty Images)

Bidding usually end around 7:00 am. Then bought fish or loaded onto ships for delivery to the next item repetition, or on small carts transported to numerous shops inside the market. Their owners are prepared and cut up fish for subsequent retail sale.

11 Adjournment of a cup of tea. (Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

Razdelyvanie large fish such as tuna or swordfish comes with special care. For example, tuna is cut large bandsaw, and already cut parts - a very long knife (sometimes up to 1 meter in length), which is called Orosi hotё (Eng.) Hantё hotё or maguro-botё.

Carcass 12 yellowfin tuna, which will soon cut into smaller pieces. (Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

Most active in the market are usually from 5:00 am to 8:00 am, and then it declines sharply. Most shops and stores closed by 11:00 am, and the market of the day at 13:00. Tourists can visit the market every day from 5:00 to 6:15 in the morning and watch the work of the market and all transactions with a specially designated area.

13 Fishmonger guts eel. (Photo: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)

Compliance with the law of the purity of food should be inspectors from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

14 employee market pulls his cart through the narrow passages between the stalls. (Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

The first market in Tokyo was established Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Edo period for provisions fortress Edo (modern Tokyo), who invited for this purpose fishermen from Osaka. Fish, which remained excessive, sold near the bridge Nihonbashi (Eng.) Marketed under the name "uogasi» (魚河岸, «Fishing Pier") - one of many of specialized markets, which was connected by channels with the Edo period (so called Tokyo to 1870h) .

15 Cutting fresh tuna before an auction on the eve of the New Year. (Photo: Koichi Kamoshida / Getty Images)

16 Cleaning the fish before selling. (Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

In August 1918, during the so-called rice riots, when more than a hundred cities and towns protested against the lack of food and the speculative activities of wholesalers, the Japanese parliament was forced to build new facilities for trade in food, especially affected the big cities.

17 waste after cutting fish. (Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

18 staff scurrying between market stalls. (Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

Central Wholesale Market was founded in March 1923. Great earthquake September 1, 1923 almost completely destroyed the central part of Tokyo with the market near Nihonbashi.

19 gutted eels prepared for transport. (Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

20 The whole tuna filled with ice. (Photo: Koichi Kamoshida / Getty Images)

Subsequently, the market was moved to Tsukiji district and at the end of the construction of modern infrastructure was completed in 1935 and started working at the Central Wholesale Market, together with markets in the areas of Coto and Kanda. Now Tokyo-based system of wholesale markets includes more than a dozen major markets and their affiliates that sell seafood, meat and so on. D.